InterMat Staff

Related: Recap Freestyle 42 Kilos: 1st: Andrew Nieman (Oklahoma) dec. Christopher Cuccolo (New York), 5-0, 5-0 3rd: Clayton Stillwagon (Montana) dec. Micheal Doetsch (Maryland), 7-0, 5-0 5th: Mason Daugherty (Ohio) dec. Zac McCauley (Ohio), 4-0, 4-0 46 Kilos: 1st: Jordan Kutler (New Jersey) dec. Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), 3-1, 6-0 3rd: Doyle Trout (Nebraska) dec. Trenton Watson (Colorado), 3-0, 1-1, 3-0 5th: Isaac Jimenez (Texas) dec. Ty Lucas (Florida), 1-0, 2-1 50 Kilos: 1st: Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Stevan Micic (Indiana), 3-3, 5-0 3rd: Austin Assad (Ohio) dec. Tucker Charles (New Jersey), 2-2, 2-5, 3-0 5th: Luke Pletcher (Pennsylvania) dec. AC Headlee (Pennsylvania), 4-6, 1-0, 2-0 54 Kilos: 1st: Joey McKenna (New Jersey) dec. Zac Hall (Michigan), 7-0, 1-0 3rd: Fredy Stroker (Iowa) dec. Dalton Macri (Pennsylvania), 1-1, 1-1 5th: Jordan Laster (Illinois) dec. Seth Brayfield (Missouri), 1-0, 1-1 58 Kilos: 1st: Seth Gross (Minnesota) dec. Anthony Giraldo (New Jersey), 1-0, 1-2, 2-1 3rd: Sean Fausz (Kentucky) dec. Mark Voss (Minnesota), 2-3, 4-2, 2-0 5th: Logan Massa (Michigan) tech. fall Logan Ryan (Iowa), 6-0, 6-0 63 Kilos: 1st: Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania) dec. Bryce Brill (Illinois), 2-3, 4-1, 2-1 3rd: Anthony Ashnault (New Jersey) dec. Mason Manville (Minnesota), 2-1, 2-1 5th: Fox Baldwin (Florida) won by forfeit Dean Heil (Ohio) 69 Kilos: 1st: Jack Bass (Texas) dec. Bo Nickal (Texas), 4-0, 4-0 3rd: Mark Hall (Minnesota) dec. Ryan Blees (North Dakota), 1-0, 1-0 5th: Myles Martin (New Jersey) dec. Logan Marcicki (Michigan), 4-0, 2-1 76 Kilos: 1st: Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania) dec. Zachary Beard (Oklahoma), 3-0, 6-0 3rd: Andrew Garcia (Michigan) won by injury default over Chandler Rogers (Washington) 5th: Jordan Cooks (Michigan) pinned Ryder Newman (Nevada), 7-0, 1:18 85 Kilos: 1st: Mitch Sliga (Indiana) dec. Eric Morris (Pennsylvania), 1-0, 2-0 3rd: Ricky Robertson (Illinois) dec. Lance Benick (Minnesota), 7-0, 3-1 5th: Alex Deciantis (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Drew Kary (North Dakota), 7-0, 7-0 100 Kilos: 1st: Garrett Ryan (Arizona) dec. Trae Story (Minnesota), 2-1, 2-1 3rd: Logan Kirby (Maryland) dec. Connor Tolley (Indiana), 6-0, 8-3 5th: Josh Lehner (Ohio) pinned Austin Linden (Ohio), 1:58 125 Kilos: 1st: Nathan Butler (Kansas) dec. Billy Miller (Ohio), 4-2, 7-0 3rd: Michael Johnson Jr. (Pennsylvania) dec. Carter Shipley (Florida), 5-1, 4-0 5th: Wesley Bernard (Indiana) won by injury default over Richard Sharek (North Carolina) Greco-Roman 42 Kilos: 1st: Dalton Roberts (Michigan) tech. fall Tanner Cox (Utah), 7-0, 6-0 3rd: Christopher Cuccolo (New York) dec. Micheal Doetsch (Maryland), 1-0, 2-3, 6-0 5th: Louie Hayes (Illinois) dec. Clayton Stillwagon (Montana), 5-4, 4-1 46 Kilos: 1st: Danny Boychuck (New Jersey) dec. Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), 4-1, 1-0 3rd: Cody Jackson (Oregon) dec. Brandon Staley (Florida), 6-0, 1-1 5th: Michael Beck (Maryland) tech. fall Adam Whitesell (Maryland), 5-6, 8-3, 6-0 50 Kilos: 1st: Kyle Norstrem (Florida) dec. Ethan Koan (Missouri), 2-1, 4-0 3rd: Skyler Petry (Minnesota) won by injury default over Blane Tschida (Minnesota) 5th: Ty Pelot (Wisconsin) dec. Ty Lucas (Florida) FF 54 Kilos: 1st: James Flint (Florida) dec. Tristan Manderfeld (Minnesota), 2-0, 0-2, 1-0 3rd: Kyle Sether (Oregon) won by injury default over Grant Boggs (Montana) 5th: Jonathan Marmolejo (Illinois) dec. Brian Burchett (Washington), 1-0, 1-0 58 Kilos: 1st: Dylan Lucas (Florida) dec. Blaine Invernon (Idaho), 5-2, 0-6, 1-1 3rd: Seth Gross (Minnesota) pinned Michael Cook (Idaho), 1:37 5th: Jacob Rubio (Texas) dec. Anthony Giraldo (New Jersey), 1-0, 1-1, 3-0 63 Kilos: 1st: Hayden Tuma (Idaho) dec. Geordan Martinez (Colorado), 1-0, 6-0 3rd: Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York) dec. Mason Manville (Minnesota), 4-2, 3-1 5th: Joseph Grable (Washington) won by injury default over Grant Leeth (Missouri) 69 Kilos: 1st: Grant LaMont (Utah) dec. Xavier Montalvo (Illinois), 4-0, 0-2, 4-0 3rd: Bo Nickal (Texas) pinned Logan Breitenbach (Maryland), 0:20 5th: Kimball Bastian (Utah) dec. Mitchell Berenz (Wisconsin), 1-2, 2-0, 1-1 76 Kilos: 1st: Chandler Rogers (Washington) pinned Nick Corba (Ohio), 0:10 3rd: Davonte Mahomes (Illinois) dec. Jake Stilling (Wisconsin), 4-0, 3-0 5th: Eric Morris (Pennsylvania) pinned Kyle Bateman (Oregon), 6-0, 0:45 85 Kilos: 1st: Raymond O'Donnell (Pennsylvania) pinned Ricky Robertson (Illinois), 1:10 3rd: Troy Hembury (Pennsylvania) dec. Logan Blackwood (Idaho), 2-0, 2-0 5th: Jon Wixom (Utah) dec. Cory Daniel (Maryland), 10-3, 5-1 100 Kilos: 1st: Garrett Ryan (Arizona) pinned Josh Lehner (Ohio), 1:58 3rd: Trae Story (Minnesota) dec. Connor Tolley (Indiana), 0-1, 4-1, 2-0 5th: Logan Kirby (Maryland) won by forfeit over Alan Taylor (Michigan) 125 Kilos: 1st: Michael Johnson Jr. (Pennsylvania) dec. Nathan Butler (Kansas), 2-0, 0-1, 1-0 3rd: Canter Shipley (Florida) pinned Richard Sharek (North Carolina), 1:23

Related: All-Americans AKRON, Ohio -- The ten-member Cadet Freestyle World Team, which will compete in Baku, Azerbaijan, August 21-27, was determined this weekend at the National Championships held on the campus of the University of Akron. During Sunday's finals matches, Tommy Thorn from Minnesota was the lone wrestler to make a return appearance onto the squad. Tommy Thorn is back on the Cadet World Team after winning the title at 50 kilos (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Last year in the Cadet World Championships at 46 kilos, he won the first two matches and then lost in the semifinals to finish seventh place. This year, Thorn jumped up one weight class to 50 kilos. Entering the championship match, he won all five previous matches in two straight periods. Likewise, his opponent Stevan Micic from Indiana had yet to lose a period from his seven bouts on Saturday. The pair of Cadet National freestyle champions from last summer in Fargo -- Thorn at 105 pounds and Micic at 98 -- wrestled a tight first period, which Thorn won 3-3 due to a two-point exposure off a cement mixer right before time expired. Thorn came out strong in the second period with two takedowns, then got an exposure and a lengthy hold off that second takedown to close out the 3-3, 5-0 victory. "I'm happy to make the team, and ready to win (the World title) this year," Thorn said. "I learned a lot about the foreign styles last year, and feel I can thrive if I keep the pressure on the opponent." The other finals match featuring a pair of champions from last summer's Cadet Nationals in Fargo was at 76 kilos, where Chance Marsteller from Pennsylvania dominated a very game Zach Beard from Oklahoma 3-0, 6-0 in two periods. Prior to the final, Beard had amassed a 7-0 record against some very tough opponents, including five victories by either shutout or pin. However, Marsteller came in with an even stronger Saturday performance -- going 6-0 without giving up a single point on four techs, a pin, and a shutout decision. That continues a pattern of absolute dominance for the two-time undefeated state champion and two-time Cadet National freestyle champion. "Regardless of opponent, I just want to push myself technique-wise, conditioning-wise, and pace of match wise so I'm prepared for when the tougher matches occur," said Marsteller, who was also motivated by a disappointing FILA Junior National tournament where he went two-and-out. "I just didn't get the work in I needed before that tournament to beat the college opposition I faced," added Marsteller. But I trained very hard before this to redeem myself, feel that I did, and I'm looking forward to doing my best at Cadet Worlds." He'll be joined on the World Team by another wrestler from Pennsylvania in Zain Retherford, who was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 63-kilo weight class, which was the tournament's toughest. In seven matches on Saturday to advance to the final, he did not lose a single period against three scholastic state champions, two state runners-up, and a sixth opponent that was a Beast of the East and POWERade runner-up. Retherford's finals opponent was Bryce Brill from Illinois, an All-American in his two prior FILA Cadet appearances and a 2010 Cadet National freestyle runner-up in Fargo. Prior to the final, Brill had absolutely dominated his six opponents to the tune of five pins or techs and only giving up points in two of his 12 periods. Things kind of started that way, as Brill jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period off a one-point takedown and then a two-point takedown with exposure. Retherford had two takedowns in the later portion of the period but still lost 3-2. It was a different story in the second period, when Retherford jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then scored a late counter takedown with exposure to seal that period 4-1. Brill scored first in the third on a takedown, but Retherford was able to score a reversal off of an attempted lace by Brill to go ahead, and then scored a match sealing takedown late off of Brill's attack to win the match 2-3, 4-1, 2-1. "I didn't cut any weight, and (Brill) was the biggest opponent I faced," said Retherford. "After the first minute I was able to adjust to the strength and started to get to my attacks, angles, and offense." "It feels awesome to make the team, and I can't wait," added Retherford. "This is what I've been working toward." Joining those three on the team will be a pair of wrestlers from Blair Academy in New Jersey -- Jordan Kutler at 101 pounds and Joey McKenna at 119. Kutler, a National Prep champion during the high school season, earned his way onto the team with a 4-1, 6-0 victory over Mitchell McKee from Minnesota. "I've improved a lot over the last year being at Blair," said Kutler. "(Head) Coach (Jeff) Buxton pays a lot of attention to me, and works with me win or lose. It all paid off (in the form of this title), and was a lot of fun." McKenna, who placed third at the FILA Junior Nationals at 55 kilos, dominated his way through this tournament with an 8-0 record and only giving up a single point along the way. He also had six victories by pin or technical fall. The championship match started out in similar form, as he won the first period 7-0 with a three-point feet-to-back takedown and then a pair of consecutive gut wrenches to end the period. It was a little tighter in the second period, with the lone point coming on a push-out to seal the 7-0, 1-0 victory. "The kids at FILA Juniors were stronger and older, so you have to be in better condition and shape," observed McKenna about wrestling against the higher-level opposition. "Then when wrestling kids at my own age and level, it's easier to score and get to my offense." Interestingly, this is his first major freestyle title while in high school, despite earning a pair of Cadet National Greco-Roman championships. "Those past disappointments, and placing lower than in Greco which I do just for fun, gave me even more drive to finally get it done," McKenna added. At 58 kilos, Seth Gross joins Thorn as a World Team representative from Minnesota with a three-period victory over Anthony Giraldo from New Jersey, who had made the finals despite losing a match during the pool competition. Gross, a Cadet National freestyle champion last summer at 112 pounds, won the first period 1-0 on a takedown, but Giraldo bounced back to win the second period 2-1 with a two-point takedown/exposure, though Gross scored a takedown late in the period to shrink the margin. Gross scored the initial point of the third period on a pushout call, and got a second point when that call withstood the protest of Giraldo's corner, which wanted a three-point feet-to-back granted to him. However, the officials judged the pushout to occur first. Giraldo did score a late takedown, but could not get a turn or score after they were put up to neutral. "I just try to stay in position, avoid giving up dumb points, and score at any time I can," said Gross, a 2011 InterMat JJ Classic champion. "I've been training for the World Team ever since the season ended, and I'm truly grateful and blessed for the opportunity." Entering this morning's 69-kilo final, it was guaranteed that a wrestler from Allen, Texas would be the representative for a second straight year -- with both Jack Bass and Bo Nickal making it to the final. Last year Oliver Pierce won this weight class at FILA Cadets, and was fifth at the World Championships in Hungary. Their paths to the final could not have been more different. Yesterday, Nickal went 7-0 with four pins, including ones over Mark Hall of Minnesota -- the nation's top incoming ninth-grader -- and 2011 Cadet National freestyle champion Dylan Milonas of New Jersey. On the other hand, Bass went 6-0 but had two matches go into the third period, and lost the first period in another match that he won by fall in the second period. However, on Sunday morning, it was Bass who controlled the show in a 4-0, 4-0 victory. "I just looked at this as practice," said Bass. We're drill partners and know each other extremely well." "I just tried to stay out of the ties and get to my shots," he added. Incoming ninth-grader Andrew Nieman, who will be attending Stillwater High School in Oklahoma, made the team at 42 kilos with a 3-0, 2-0 victory over Chris Cuccolo from New York. In Nieman's four matches, he did not give up a single point. He is the lone member of the team to not have at least a state championship final appearance on the resume. In fact, all but Bass (a two-time runner-up) have at least one state or National Prep championship medal. Seniors-to-be Mitch Sliga from Indiana and Garrett Ryan from Arizona are the last two members of the team. Sliga, a double Cadet National champion the last two summers in Fargo won the 85-kilo title 1-0, 2-0 on a pair of offensive clinches over Eric Morris from Pennsylvania. Morris was one of four wrestlers that Sliga beat during the two-day tournament who finished top three in Cadet freestyle last summer. "It was about conditioning and heart," said Sliga in terms of how he was able to navigate the tough road on the way to a title. "I was ready every match, as I knew one loss was all it would take to derail my chance to get this incredible opportunity (to wrestle internationally at the Cadet Worlds)." Ryan, the 100-kilo champion, was the lone wrestler to win both the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments in Akron this weekend. He did so with a 2-1, 2-1 victory over Trae Story from Minnesota in which he got out to a 2-0 lead in each period. During this past season, Ryan went 53-2 in winning a state title at 170 pounds. Shortly after the season, he indicated that he got up to about 195 pounds. He's also grown about one or two inches in height since then, and kept on adding weight, weighing in this weekend at 219. "Since I'm tall with big shoulders, I just decided to keep lifting heavy to keep growing into a college 197 or heavyweight," said Ryan. Rounding out the champions was Nathan Butler from Kansas, who won the heavyweight (125-kilo) weight class, which is not one that is contested at the FILA Cadet World Championships. He earned a 4-2, 7-0 victory over Billy Miller from Ohio in the final, but in reality the title was won on Saturday when he beat Michael Johnson Jr. from Pennsylvania, 2-1, 0-2, 1-0 in the pool competition. Johnson was third in Cadet freestyle last summer in Fargo and had beaten Butler to win the Greco-Roman title on Friday afternoon. "I got experience out of wrestling him (on Friday)," said Butler about beating Johnson. "I knew he was a big kid, maintained good positions, and that I would have to create better attacks to win." Finals Results: 42 kilos: Andrew Nieman (Oklahoma) dec. Christopher Cuccolo (New York), 5-0, 5-0 46 kilos: Jordan Kutler (New Jersey) dec. Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), 3-1, 6-0 50 kilos: Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Stevan Micic (Indiana), 3-3, 5-0 54 kilos: Joey McKenna (New Jersey) dec. Zac Hall (Michigan), 7-0, 1-0 58 kilos: Seth Gross (Minnesota) dec. Anthony Giraldo (New Jersey), 1-0, 1-2, 2-1 63 kilos: Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania) dec. Bryce Brill (Illinois), 2-3, 4-1, 2-1 69 kilos: Jack Bass (Texas) dec. Bo Nickal (Texas), 4-0, 4-0 76 kilos: Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania) dec. Zachary Beard (Oklahoma), 3-0, 6-0 85 kilos: Mitch Sliga (Indiana) dec. Eric Morris (Pennsylvania), 1-0, 2-0 100 kilos: Garrett Ryan (Arizona) dec. Trae Story (Minnesota), 2-1, 2-1 125 kilos: Nathan Butler (Kansas) dec. Billy Miller (Ohio), 4-2, 7-0

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! It's Hall of Fame Weekend in Stillwater. We'll be there, will you? NWHOF.org This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. Special guest host Montell Marion. This week's guests: 9:03 Carl Adams, Boston head wrestling coach 9:20 Joel Sharratt, Air Force head wrestling coach 9:40 Rick Young, "Scrap Iron Kings" Producer 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:00 Jim Heffernan, Illinois head wrestling coach 10:20 Spenser Mango, U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler 10:40 Kyle Klingman, Dan Gable Museum Director 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort GM

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Want to view a past mailbag? View archives. Q: When the seeding for this past NCAA tournament came out, a lot of people were critical of the seeding committee. I recall reading an article on InterMat questioning the 174-pound weight class with Ed Ruth as the No. 1 seed instead of Nick Amuchastegui. Looking back it appears that the seeding committee did a pretty good job as seven No. 1 seeds were crowned as national champs. Who is on the NCAA seeding committee? Overall, how do you think they did? What can be improved in the seeding for the NCAA tournament? -- Tom K. Ed Ruth (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: The seeding committee did do a good job in 2012, though seven No. 1 seeds winning the tournament doesn't outperform the historical average. My absolute DISGUST with the NCAA actually lies somewhere else in the process. It's interesting you mention the seeding at 174 pounds. I was one of the loudest opponents to placing Amuchastegui down in the No. 3 seed. He'd beaten the hell out of Ruth in 2011 and was undefeated, making the case, at least to me, that he should have been the No. 1 seed. However, the seeding committee NO LONGER looks at historical data, so they weren't going to be compelled by the 2011 NCAA quarterfinal matchup. Instead the committee only had quality and quantity of wins in the season before the 2012 championship to go by, making it difficult to argue against granting Ruth the top seed. Overall, I thought the seeding was average. It's always easy to look back and point out the weight classes where the committee obviously failed to fill out a meaningful bracket outside of a top seed. For example, 149 pounds and 165 pounds. But their methodology isn't publicized so it's difficult to know which weight classes were argues illogically. We could go back and try to reconstruct which matchups were utilized to make decisions but that's a fool's errand. The system was supposed to use the parameters of coaches rank, RPI, winning percentage, head-to-head results, common opponent wins, and quality wins (wins over guys in the tournament). When they eliminated last year's results the selections were, from what I've been told, pretty easy. The part that pissed me off was that the NCAA took five hours to release the brackets. The half-hour delay was to ensure that the NCAA's Facebook account could receive more "Likes." I have two major problems with this type of fan manipulation. First the NCAA isn't dealing with a team sport, which means that they are evaluating the in-season accomplishments of INDIVIDUAL student-athletes. The wrestlers are already forced to wait three days for the announcement, so why make it worse for them by teasing out their dreams so you can pump up your online numbers? Obviously the lady who does the online work for the NCAA has no empathy for what these guys are going through and probably thought herself a delightful marketing whiz by profiting from the emotional turmoil of several hundred dedicated college athletes and their families. But she really just proved that the NCAA WILL ALWAYS PUT PROFIT FIRST. In this case it was Facebook adoration they sought on the backs of individual, hard-working wrestlers. Tomorrow it will be something more conniving, more deceptive and likely just as harmful to the student-athletes. The second of my druthers is that it was unfair that the committee knew Tuesday night but because of the almost 24-hour delay cost the at-large bids an extra day of distraction-free workouts. If you have the information then release it. Stop trying to be so cute. You're not. It's annoying, cruel, and counter-productive. Q: I am an avid wrestling fan and will watch anything and everything being broadcast on TV or Internet but I find myself wondering what would make a casual or non-wrestling fan stop on that channel to watch? The answer I usually come up with is not much. A lot of that, in my opinion, is due to a lack of charisma from the broadcast team. Now, I can't knock the wrestling credentials of a Dan Gable or whatever multiple-time AA or national champion they use. But I do question their ability to carry the broadcast. I believe that bringing in some younger more exuberant personalities during TV broadcasts would potentially bring in more fans and hold their interest. Anyone who has ever watched the Big Ten Network knows what I'm talking about. To a non-wrestler the broadcast comes off as being very dry, and somewhat biased and confusing depending on who Iowa is wrestling while Gable tries to articulate, coach, and cheer simultaneously. I think some young blood with wrestling savvy and a little more emphasis on production would do a great service to any TV broadcast. -- Donald C. Foley: I was at the NCAAs this year so I didn't catch it, but I think ESPN hired Anthony Robles for the color commentary. Some people on Twitter thought it was so-so, others enjoyed it, but most everyone agreed he just needed more time to learn the format. You're right ... Stations do need an on-air balance and I don't think that sticking with the crews from the 1980s is going to cut it much longer. The rub this season was with the production value of the student-produced matches for the Big Ten Network were comically, woefully bad (I'd link their worst performance, but the BTN had it scrubbed!). The network sent out one of those half-apologies for the production, but stopped short of guaranteeing it would never happen again, leaving many fans wanting them not to just come out with a full apology, but with a statement saying they want us to know that they WANT to do a better job. The argument for Gable and those with NCAA titles is that management doesn't know better and accolades are thought to impress common viewers. Gable might be dull to some people, or fumble some stuff, but on the opposite side, you certainly can't hire the guys from Flowrestling to do a broadcast. Television audiences need someone willing to describe the action not shout into the camera. They also need someone to deliver larger storylines for dual meets and tournaments. Jason BryantWere I to take control of a hiring at the Big Ten Network I'd grab Jason Bryant. He has a clear voice, can speak to the expert and the newcomers, and displays genuine excitement. He has history with some of the wrestlers but not the long-winded asides we're used to hearing describing wresting room matches from 1978. Those personal interactions are interesting but rarely to the broader audience. My guess is that we will see an improvement in the on-air talent and that with Robles we're already making our way. Q: How competitive do you think the South would be if there were more programs? -- @AS_myth Foley: What do we mean by "The South?" I think the schools of the ACC and SoCon count in terms of Confederacy South, but what I think you meant was in the Deep South. Good question! There used to be some Deep South schools with NCAA champions. In fact, current Iowa State head wrestling coach and Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson actually wrestled at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Alabama had a program until the 1980s where major wrestling supporter Steve Fisher competed. (Interesting side note: Silver's friend Jeff Levitetz sold what was for the majority of 2011 the most expensive piece of real estate in Chicago. The Internet says he kept his other place in Florida worth $12.5 million. Levitetz sells food and beauty supplies. I now want to sell food and beauty supplies. He's also a MAJOR supporter of wrestling as well creating scholarships, clubs and foundations.) There are several mores schools and wrestlers to list, but they all competed in a different age. Let's create a world in which Silver and Levitetz get a wild hair and decide to start a men's wrestling program (with a women's program for Title IX balance) at the University of Alabama. Could they recruit? Would wrestlers leave Pennsylvania to compete in the Deep South? Yes. The only proof you need comes from women's college lacrosse. The University of Florida started their women's lacrosse team in 2010. This season they were undefeated and top-ranked headed into the NCAA tournament. (They lost in the semifinals to Syracuse.) THREE SEASONS and they went from ZERO players to one of the best in the country. Forgiving that female athletes tend to be better when they first get to college and that women's lacrosse is a relatively new sport, what factors allowed them to catapult over so many other schools that had new or developing programs? LOCATION. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to go to school in Gainesville? Same goes for Tuscaloosa. Every red-blooded American male drops his jaw 11 times each commercial break when CBS pans the sidelines for a delightful scan of the SEC cheerleaders. Recruits make decisions for lots of reasons, but trust me one of the major factors that creeps into their minds is quality of life. One of the major contributing factors to "quality" can be as simple as how many cute coeds they spot on their stroll to the library. Were I to take the head coaching job at Gainesville I'd just offer my recruits a lawn chair, some Diet Coke and a brand new shar pei puppy and let them have at it. I'd have No. 1 classes until the NCAA made it illegal for me to own a puppy (and they would do it), or until Tom Ryan caught wind of my tricks and did the same on campus in Columbus. Given a budget and a coach these schools could be extraordinary, it's really just a matter of the right people making bold decisions. Given that Alabama made $75 million from their football team last year you'd almost have to assume that the time is approaching where they'll begin to offer everything from wrestling to badminton just to prove their regional sporting dominance. I've written this before but it bears repeating, the SEC (and Ivy League) are essentially governed by a very complicated trouser-pulling contest. If Alabama decides that they need to have the country's best wrestling program don't be surprised if Auburn, LSU, and Florida are right there to challenge that assertion. Q: Sean McMurray (Michigan State) is rumored to be looking at transferring to a different school for this upcoming season. As a Gopher fan it would be great to add him to our middleweights as a potential starter but I am sure he has some options. What, if anything, can you shed on Mr. McMurray and his intentions for the future? -- Kevin W. Foley: I can tell you that McMurray has been granted his full release by Michigan State and has started taking recruiting trips. There are plenty of colleges interested in his services and I'm sure he'll be a welcomed addition to any program, possibly even the Gophers. Q: Tom or Terry Brands in college and now? -- @mikesimerson Foley: Nice question! I'm going to tread lightly here, rather than be maimed by the Flannel Shirt Mafia (they exist). Tom and Terry are two of the more inspirational, if not talented, wrestlers to ever strap on the boots. In college Tom was a three-time champ and Terry a two-timer. Tom won a gold at the 1996 Olympics and Terry took the bronze at the 2000 games. Terry has two World titles, while Tom has one. Terry Brands was a two-time World championWere it not for one of the most dramatic matches in Olympic Team Trials history, Terry might very well have been a gold medalist in 1996. As it was Kendall Cross, the man who bested him in the Trials, did go on to win the gold. To me, that's compelling. I think there is a definitive answer to who got the better of who in the Iowa wrestling room, but I don't have that answer so I'll just take a guess. I'd imagine all things being equal except for size, which favored Tom, that Terry would probably have taken a few lumps. However, TODAY I'd almost guarantee Terry gets the better of Tom. Here's why. Tom is the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes and while I'm sure he mixes it up, it's more of Terry's responsibility to hit the mats with the guys. Tom raises cash, visits recruits, and rips off his shirt. Terry beats the hell out of everyone from Montell Marion to Derek St. John. I'd imagine that he's crisper, in better shape, and having never won that Olympic gold probably the type of competitor that's a bitch to take down. Tom might have that Big Brother Syndrome from all the years he was larger and better, but today, RIGHT THIS SECOND, I'll take Terry Brands, 3-2. No need for overtime. What about when it's time to cut a rug? Tom is definitely the better dancer.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos did exactly what most of us expected at UFC 146, knocking Frank Mir senseless to retain his title. But the all-heavyweight main card did have some surprises and a whole lot of stoppages. Richard and John review the weekend's festivities and also look ahead to The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale on Saturday. The TUF Live card features a main event between Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann. More interestingly, TUF finalists Michael Chiesa and Al Iaquinta will compete for the top spot with only one week of rest. It's an odd quirk resulting from the live format versus the pre-recorded fights from prior seasons. Should the UFC let the TUF finalists get some rest so they can be in peak form on the finale? Or should they ignore that issue and let TV promotion dictate the schedule? We go into that plenty since John didn't schedule any guests this week, but be on the lookout next week for some UFC fighter interviews.

The FILA Cadet National freestyle competition will be held this Saturday and Sunday on the campus of the University of Akron at the Louis and Freda Stile Athletics Field House. Competition on both days will start at 9:00 a.m. ET. The event will be held in conjunction with the University Nationals, while Greco-Roman competition at each age level will be held on Friday. This event will feature many of the nation's star wrestlers in the Cadet age group, as well as those that were second-year Cadets last year but have moved up to Junior competition for Fargo this year. Wrestlers with a 1995, 1996, or 1997 birth date are eligible for the FILA Cadet Nationals. Champions in this competition are eligible to compete at the FILA Cadet World Championships to be held in late August of this year in Azerbaijan. Many nationally ranked wrestlers (weight class and/or grade) populate the pre-registration field (note that there is additional on-site registration, so this list may be incomplete; in addition, weight classes are subject to change at registration). In addition, there are also wrestlers outside the rankings with excellent credentials and potential to thrive in this tournament. The following is a survey of each weight class based on the early registration period, the deadline which was 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29. 42 Kilos: Notable Wrestlers: Chris Cuccolo (New York), Louie Hayes (Illinois) Commentary: Early registration lists a couple of notable wrestlers in Chris Cuccolo (New York), a 2011 Cadet National All-American in both styles, as well as 2012 Cadet folkstyle champion Louie Hayes, who was a USA Wrestling Schoolboy Triple Crown winner last year. 46 Kilos: Notable Wrestlers: Kaid Brock (Oklahoma), Isaac Jimenez (Texas), Jordan Kutler (New Jersey), Mitchell McKee (Minnesota), and Miguel Silva (Illinois) Commentary: National Prep champion Jordan Kutler (New Jersey) probably has the greatest high school credential of any wrestler in this field. However, four other wrestlers come into this tournament with a Cadet National finals appearance to their credit in one of the three styles. Jack Mueller (Texas) and Kaid Brock (Oklahoma) were runners-up in Cadet folkstyle this year, while Brock placed third in freestyle last summer; Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) was a Cadet folkstyle champion this spring, and won double titles at Schoolboy Nationals last summer; and Miguel Silva (Illinois) was a Cadet freestyle runner-up last summer. 50 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Stevan Micic (Indiana), Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) Grade Ranked Wrestler: Kyle Norstrem (Florida) Other Notables: Austin Assad (Ohio), Anthony Cefolo (New Jersey), Ethan Koan (Missouri), Lincoln Olson (Michigan), and Skyler Petry (Minnesota) Commentary: Two wrestlers in this weight class appeared in the end of season high school weight class rankings, both were Cadet National freestyle champions last summer, and each was also a medalist in the 46-kilo weight class of this tournament last year. Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) won the 46-kilo title last year, and was champion at 105 pounds in Cadet freestyle; while Stevan Micic (Indiana) was fifth here last year, and came home with the 98-pound Cadet National freestyle title during the summer. Austin Assad (Ohio) was runner-up to Micic in Fargo, while Cefolo, Norstrem, and Olson won state titles during the high school season. 54 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Dylan Lucas (New Jersey), Joey McKenna (Florida), Fredy Stroker (Pennsylvania) Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Zac Hall (Michigan), Jens Lantz (Wisconsin), Coy Ozias (Virginia) Grade Ranked Wrestler: Brandon James (Indiana) Other Notables: Josh Alber (Illinois), James Flint (Florida), Dalton Macri (Pennsylvania), Sebastian Pique (Illinois), and Mitch Rogaliner (Michigan) Commentary: Lead figures in this weight class would appear to be Joey McKenna (New Jersey) and Dylan Lucas (Florida). McKenna beat Lucas, 6-4, 7-2 during the pool stages of this event last year in the 50-kilo classification. Both wrestlers are extremely accomplished in both Olympic styles with multiple Fargo and FILA Cadet National placements to their credit. Other wrestlers with Cadet or FILA Cadet freestyle All-American honors on their resume in this weight class include Josh Alber (Illinois), Zac Hall (Michigan), Brandon James (Indiana), Dalton Macri (Pennsylvania), Josh Newberg (Washington), and Sebastian Pique (Illinois) 58 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Zain Retherford (Pennsylvania) Other Notables: Andrew Crone (Wisconsin), Seth Gross (Minnesota), Logan Massa (Michigan), Mark Voss (Minnesota), and Logan Ryan (Iowa) Commentary: Based on the early registration list, the strong early favorite in this weight class is 2010 Pennsylvania state champion Zain Retherford, a returning Cadet freestyle All-American, who was precluded from competing during the past high school season. Retherford was an NHSCA Junior National champion this past April, and is a three-time Super 32 Challenge placer. However, indications are that Retherford may move up a weight class to 63 kilos. Additionally in this weight are both finalists from the 112 pound weight class in last summer's Cadet National freestyle tournament, Seth Gross (Minnesota)and Andrew Crone (Wisconsin). 63 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Anthony Ashnault (New Jersey), Jack Bass (Texas), Bryce Brill (Illinois), Jack Clark (New Jersey), and Dean Heil (Ohio) Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Fox Baldwin (Florida), Tyler Berger (Oregon), Chris Garcia (Illinois), P.J. Klee (California), Grant Leeth (Missouri), Mason Manville (Minnesota), and Hayden Tuma (Idaho) Other Notables: Tanner Bailey (Oklahoma), Kevin Kinney (Missouri), Geordan Martinez (Colorado), Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York), and Cole Sladek (Minnesota) Commentary: To put things mildly, there is an absolutely crazy level of talent in this weight class. Keeping in mind that only six wrestlers earn medals, the first batch of six wrestlers not getting a medal could easily be just as good as the group that does medal. Quite frankly, the second batch of six not medalling might be nipping on their heels too. There are six returning FILA Cadet medalists in this weight class: Bryce Brill (Illinois), Jack Clark (New Jersey), Dean Heil (Ohio), P.J. Klee (California), Hayden Tuma (Idaho), and Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (New York). Wrestlers that have earned Cadet freestyle All-American honors in either or both of the last two summers (12 total) include Brill, Clark, Klee, Tuma, Anthony Ashnault (New Jersey), Jack Bass (Texas), Tyler Berger (Oregon), Grant Leeth (Missouri), Kevin Kinney (Missouri), Geordan Martinez (Colorado), Joseph Grable (Washington), and Cole Sladek (Minnesota). Additional notable wrestlers include FloNationals placers Fox Baldwin (Florida) and Mason Manville (Minnesota), as well as 2011 Cadet National folkstyle runner-up Tommy Forte (Indiana). Retherford may be added to this group, and indications are Bass may be competing at 69 kilos. 69 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Mark Hall (Minnesota), Dylan Milonas (New Jersey), and Bo Nickal (Texas) Grade Ranked Wrestler: Paden Bailey (Oklahoma) Other Notables: Ryan Blees (North Dakota), Colston DiBlasi (Missouri), Grant Lamont (Utah), Logan Marcicki (Michigan), and Xavier Montalvo (Illinois) Commentary: A trio of wrestlers lead the way in this weight class, including Cadet National freestyle champion Dylan Milonas (New Jersey). Others in this group are Cadet National folkstyle champion Bo Nickal (Texas), a Cadet National double All-American last year, and two-time Minnesota state champion Mark Hall (Minnesota). An additional three wrestlers were also Cadet National double All-Americans last summer -- Ryan Blees (North Dakota), Grant Lamont (Utah), and Logan Marcicki (Michigan); Lamont was also a placer in this event last year at 63 kilos. 76 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Zach Beard (Oklahoma), Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania), Eric Morris (Pennsylvania), Chandler Rogers (Washington), and Johnny Sebastian (New Jersey) Grade Ranked Wrestler: Andrew Garcia (Michigan) Other Notables: Jordan Cooks (Michigan), Nick Corba (Ohio), Tyler McLean (Washington), Ryder Newman (Nevada), and Jake Stilling (Wisconsin) Commentary: Though two-time Cadet National freestyle champion Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania) is going to get virtually all the limelight and ink in this weight class, there is a lot of talent here. For those living under some sort of cave, Marsteller is the No. 1 wrestler in the Class of 2014, finished the year No. 1 at 160 pounds, and is a two-time undefeated state champion. Also present in this weight class is fellow Cadet National freestyle champion Zach Beard (Oklahoma); the excellent Eric Morris (Pennsylvania), a two-time Cadet freestyle All-American and National Prep champion this past year; state champion Johnny Sebastian (New Jersey), who was also runner-up at the Beast of the East during this past season; and Chandler Rogers (Washington), who was a double All-American (third freestyle, first Greco) as a first-year Cadet last summer. The above five wrestlers are joined in the field by three other Cadet double All Americans Andrew Garcia (Michigan), Ryder Newman (Nevada), and Jake Stilling (Wisconsin). 85 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Mitch Sliga (Indiana) Grade Ranked Wrestler: Lance Benick (Minnesota) Other Notables: Troy Hembury (Pennsylvania), Ray O'Donnell (Pennsylvania), Ricky Robertson (Illinois), and Parker Vonegidy (North Carolina) Commentary: Clearly leading the way here is two-time Cadet National double All-American Mitch Sliga (Indiana). He was also fifth in this weight class last year at the FILA Cadet level, and had a high school state title this past year to go with two previous third-place finishes. Joining Sliga as a Cadet National freestyle champion in this weight class is Ricky Robertson (Illinois), who also finished second to Morris in Cadet Greco-Roman last summer. Just a first-year Cadet, Lance Benick (Minnesota) already has a folkstyle national title to his credit. Other returning Cadet All-Americans include double medalists Ray O'Donnell (Pennsylvania), a champion in Greco-Roman, and Troy Hembury (Pennsylvania); while Parker Vonegidy (North Carolina) was runner-up to Robertson in freestyle. 100 Kilos: Notable Wrestler: Josh Lehner (Ohio) Commentary: Josh Lehner (Ohio) is the favorite among the early registrants. During the past scholastic season, he was a Walsh Ironman placer and won a state title with all four of his victories in Columbus coming by technical fall. He was also third in Cadet Greco-Roman last summer. 125 Kilos: Weight Class/Grade Ranked Wrestlers: Michael Johnson Jr. (Pennsylvania) Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Nathan Butler (Kansas) Other Notable: Wesley Bernard (Indiana) Commentary: Leading the way is Cadet National double All-American Michael Johnson Jr. (Pennsylvania), who was a National Prep runner-up during his freshman season of high school. Also present in this weight class is two-time state champion Nathan Butler (Kansas), who was third in Junior folkstyle this spring and a Cadet Greco-Roman third place finisher last summer; as well as Cadet National double All-American Wesley Bernard (Indiana). Note: InterMat will provide coverage of the freestyle tournament throughout the weekend, including a recap after the event's completion on Sunday evening as well as select updates on Twitter (@JLowe_intermat) throughout the competition.

One of the finest wrestlers to ever come from New Jersey will return to his home state next season. Princeton wrestling head coach Chris Ayres announced that two-time NCAA champion Joe Dubuque will serve as assistant coach for the rising Tiger program. Joe Dubuque was a two-time NCAA championDubuque, the 2005 and 2006 NCAA champion (125) has five years of experience as an assistant coach, including two with his alma mater, Indiana. Prior to that, he spent three years as an assistant with Hofstra. “Hiring Joe is a huge step for our program,” Ayres said. ”The last six years I have preached that we need to build the strongest organizational foundation in order to achieve sustained success in the long run. Upgrading the second position through an endowment solidifies that foundation. We are now on a more even playing field with our competitors and have the opportunity to see just how good we can become. Getting someone with the credentials and experience of Joe Dubuque is just the icing on the cake.” While wrestling at Indiana, Dubuque posted an overall record of 114-18, including a 69-6 dual mark and a 19-6 Big Ten record in four years. "I want to thank Chris Ayres for giving me the opportunity to come back to New Jersey and help bring Princeton wrestling to a new level," Dubuque said. "I am excited to be a part of the Tiger tradition." Dubuque, a native of Bloomfield, New Jersey, was a scholastic national champion as a senior and a two-time state champion at Glenn Ridge High School. He posted a 23-5 overall record and was ranked 12th as a freshman, but he missed the Big 10 Championships due to an injury. A year later Dubuque qualified for his first NCAA appearance with a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and then went on to earn All-America honors with an eighth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. He finished the year with a 34-9 overall record, a 21-2 dual mark and captured the 125-pound title at the Northern Iowa Open. In 2004-05 Dubuque placed third in the Big Ten Championships and then defeated three ranked opponents on his march to claim the 125-pound title at the national championships. He became the first Hoosier grappler to claim a national championship since Brian Dolph captured the 150-pound title in 1990. He finished the year with a 29-3 overall record, an 18-1 slate in duals, a 6-1 mark in the Big Ten and a 12-2 mark against ranked opponents. As a senior during the 2005-06 season he recorded an overall mark of 28-1, including a 7-1 record against ranked opponents; he defeated three ranked foes at the NCAAs en route to the 125-pound crown. Dubuque became just the second Hoosier in Indiana history to capture two national titles and the first Hoosier to register back-to-back NCAA crowns. He helped lead Indiana to an 18th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships. Dubuque earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation sports management from Indiana. He has a wife, Jaime, and a son Chase. “We needed to raise quite a bit of funds during the past year and over 30 alumni contributed significant funds to the coaching endowment,” Ayres said. “I thank everyone who contributed and plan to recognize them more formally once the books are closed on this effort, but a special thanks must go to Rich Tavoso ‘87 and Mike Novogratz ‘87. Rich and Mike were the first to understand the need to upgrade the position and really launched this effort with an incredible fund matching plan that pulled in a lot of support from other alumni. Without their initial “push” we wouldn’t be where we are today. “Nothing defines the Princeton Wrestling program more than the passion and commitment of our alumni and I am so thankful they were able to respond to our call for support once again,” Ayres added.

Nate Hansen

Related Content: Takedown Interview INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Former NCAA Division III national champion and Division I assistant Nate Hansen has been named the head wrestling coach at Simpson College, director of athletics John Sirianni announced Tuesday. Hansen comes to Simpson from South Dakota State University, where he spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the Jackrabbits. "This is really a dream job for me," said Hansen, who wrestled collegiately at Luther College. "Getting back to the Iowa Conference is a great opportunity for me. It's a special conference and I want to give the same type of experience I had as a student-athlete to the students at Simpson." A native of Gregory, South Dakota, Hansen was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American and the 2007 national champion at 125 pounds for the Norse. He also won the Iowa Conference Championship at 125 in 2007 and was a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American. In high school, Hansen was a three-time state champion. Nate Hansen"We are very excited to have Nate leading our wrestling program," Sirianni said. "After a fantastic career competing in the Iowa Conference, Nate was able to grow as a coach at South Dakota State. We believe he has the tools to continue to grow our program and reach the ultimate goal of competing for championships in the nation's toughest wrestling conference." Hansen expects his team to put in the time and effort necessary to compete at the highest level while enjoying themselves at the same time. "We're going to work hard and have fun," he said. "That's the atmosphere I want to create - a family environment where guys are working together to achieve high goals." Hansen graduated from Luther in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education before earning a master's in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from South Dakota State in 2009. Hansen takes over for Clint Manny, who resigned in the offseason after going 12-53 in four seasons. A young team consisting of 15 freshmen and sophomores, the Storm – who graduated only one senior last season – went 6-14 in 2011-12, the program's best record since 2006. "I have already begun the process of contacting everyone on the current roster as well as the recruits," Hansen said. "Everyone I've talked to is on board, which is really exciting. I know coach Manny put in a lot of work on recruiting, which is a great situation for me. It's looking good and looking like it will work out for everyone." Hansen becomes the 17th head coach in program history.

Mark Cody

Event: UFC 146 Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas) Date: May 26, 2012 The UFC Monster has won seven (7) straight UFC cards as documented on this very website. However, I took UFC 145 off as I was in Iowa City following the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, my fourth straight in attendance. I was also in attendance back in 1972 when Dan Gable beat Lloyd Kaiser at Anoka High School in Minnesota to make the team, and go on to win Olympic gold without being scored upon! Now that's amazing. At any rate, I'm back and let's see what we can do with tonight's UFC card. The PPV UFC card features all heavyweights. So, you can bet that there will be plenty of KOs and opportunities to watch replays of the undercard. Five of the undercard fights will be shown for free on FX TV. The other two can be found on the UFC's Facebook page. It is the UFC Monster's mission to find "value" in the Las Vegas betting line. And, I feel that tonight's main event offers such an opportunity. The heavyweight championship belt is on the line as former champ Frank Mir (16-5 w/9 submissions) takes on defending champ, Brazilian Junior dos Santos (14-1 w/10 KOs). Most fans see dos Santos ending this early with another thundering KO punch. And, that will be the result if Mir can't get this to the mat. But Mir is an arm-breaker (see Big Nog and Tim Silvia for details). We have not seen dos Santos on his back, and if we do, this one may soon be over. Getting Mir at +385 is too good to pass up. I see a second-round choke ending it. Former Arizona State wrestler, Cain Velasquez (9-1 w/8 KOs) had been crushing his opponents until he was stunned by a one-minute KO from Junior dos Santos. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (16-3 w/11 KOs) is a Strikeforce veteran making his UFC debut. Coming off a shocking loss to Daniel Cormier, Silva will find a tougher journey against Velasquez. Cain is too athletic and quick for the Neanderthal man. I see a stunning right hand putting Silva to the mat where Cain will devour him with vicious ground-and-pound punches. Velasquez at -400 wins by first-round KO. I don't think I've ever bet on Roy "Big Country" Nelson (16-7 w/9 subs). Until tonight. His opponent, Dave "Pee-Wee" Herman has an impressive 21-3 record w/15 KOs, but he has often been criticized for not training hard and being a "goof-off". Big Country's beer belly physique is deceptive. He is one of the best heavyweight's around at controlling position and winning by submission. You do not want this big hulk laying on you. So, can Pee Wee score a KO before Roy takes him down? Nope. Lay the reasonable -210 on Big Country and head to the buffet line. Nelson wins a decision. Two undefeated fighters meet when Shane del Rosario (11-0 w/8 KOs) takes on the challenge of Stipe Miocic (8-0 w/6 KOs). It is always tempting to take an undefeated fighter as a 'dog, but there are too many unknowns here for me. Rosario makes his UFC debut at +135, but I'll pass. No play for me on this one. I'll sit back and enjoy the punches. Lavar Johnson (17-5 w/15 KOs) is 2-0 in the Octagon, both KOs, after a career with WEC. But 6'11" Stefan Struve (23-5 w/15 subs) is a unique heavyweight. His lanky frame and reach advantage makes it difficult to get inside on him. And, you don't want to find yourself on the mat with Struve, as his submission skills are deadly. So this one boils down to ... Can Johnson get his KO punch in before Struve drags him to the mat? I don't think so. Struve has made a career of surviving deep trouble to rally and win by submission. Add another notch to his belt here with great value on Struve as a modest -135 favorite. Struve by second-round arm bar submission. Now let's take a quick look for value on the undercard … Diego Brandao (14-7 w/8 KOs) and Darren Elkins (13-2 w/4 KOs and 5 subs) is a featherweight (145 pounds) fight that could go either way. I'm tempted to take Elkins as a +230 'dog, but I'll pass instead. Brandao may win by knockout. Welterweight Edson Barbosa (10-0 w/7 KOs) is one of my favorite "up-and-comers" in the UFC. His flashy style and spinning back-kicks make him fun to watch. He has dynamite in his fists. His opponent, longtime WEC veteran, Jamie Varner (19-6 w/11 subs), will look like a deer in the headlights tonight, I'm afraid. I'm bridge jumping on Barbosa at -500. A devastating first-round KO will end this, and make one wonder who's next? GSP? Middleweight (185 pounds) Jason "Mayhem" Miller (23-8 w/14 subs) has lots to prove after gassing out on national TV against Michael Bisping. Former Arizona State wrestler C.B. Dollaway (11-4) is a well-rounded fighter, but will be over-matched on the mat with Mayhem. I see good value in betting Miller at -130 as I believe his ground game and submission skills will get the job done here. Mayhem wins by second-round rear-naked choke. Duane "Bang" Ludwig (21-12 w/10 KOs) and Brit Dan Hardy (23-10 w/11 KOs) have similar records and lots of UFC experience. But Hardy has lost four in a row and that usually earns you a pink slip from Dana (White). And, a desperate fighter is a dangerous fighter! But I think Ludwig has the crisper boxing skills and will win a unanimous decision here. I'll take the slight +110 underdog odds on Ludwig. Like many, I don't care for lightweight (155 pounds) Jacob "Christmas" Volkmann's (14-2 w/lots of boring decisions) right-wing politics and lack of respect for the POTUS. But he can wrestle. I'll give him that. But I'll try to beat him tonight with an undefeated 'dog, Paul Sass (12-0 w/11 subs). Getting +170 on an undefeated fighter against Volkmann is an early Christmas gift for me. Sass by decision. Light heavyweight (205 pounds), Glover Teixera (17-2 w/11 KOs) hasn't lost in seven years, and has won 15 straight fights, mostly first-round KOs! He makes his UFC debut tonight against UFC journeyman Kyle Kingsbury (11-3). I'll ride the hot horse at -220 after watching Kingsbury clowning around at yesterday's weigh-ins. Teixera is all business with a first-round KO. Kingsbury gets a pink slip. Featherweight (145 pounds) Mike Brown (25-8 w/13 subs) is nearing retirement. He will best be remembered as the guy who beat Urijah Faber TWICE! He should have enough of a skill set left to win a decision over Daniel Pineda (17-7 w/11 subs). The -130 on Brown looks cheap to me. Now let's take a look at our money management program with our fictitious $1000 bankroll: Let's lay $60 to win $231 on former champ Frank Mir pulling the big upset! Let's lay $120 to win $30 on Cain whipping Bigfoot with athleticism. Let's lay $84 to win $40 on Big Country squashing Pee Wee Herman. Let's lay $135 to win $100 on Stefan Struve's submission skills. Let's lay $125 to win $25 on a Barbosa bridge jump. Let's lay $91 to win $70 on Mayhem Miller creating mayhem. Let's lay $100 to win $110 on Bang Ludwig booting Hardy from the UFC. Let's lay $60 to win $102 on Paul Sass out-politicking Jacob Volkman. Let's lay $132 to win $60 on Texiera extending his winning streak. Let's lay $91 to win $70 on what may be Mike Brown's swan song. Let's pass on Miocic vs. del Rosario. Let's pass on Brandao vs. Elkins. In total we are risking $998 to try and win $838. Let's keep this winning streak alive!!! Don't forget to donate some of your winnings to your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights! I know I will.

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- Clackamas Community College wrestling coach Josh Rhoden has announced the signing of four-time Virginia state champion Cody Allala. In addition to winning his states championship four times, Cody was also a finalist in two of the best prep tournaments in America, the Beast of the East and Walsh Iron Man respectively. Cody also ranks among the Top 150 best recruits in the country according to www.D1collegewrestling.com and No. 18 at 160 punds by InterMat. Cody AllalaAllala joins an already decorated list of preps to sign with the Clackamas program for the coming school year and he is the second to report from the east coast showing just how far reaching Clackamas’ recruiting base has spread (CJ Palmer, Pennsylvania). In fact, Allala is the second recruit this season to sign with the Cougars who recorded four consecutive state championships (Ray Evans, Idaho). "Upon meeting Cody we have found him to be a really genuine kid who has high goals for himself both academically and athletically. We love his competitiveness and his tenacity on the mat and we look forward to helping guide him throughout the collegiate process. That is just the type of program we are and we love helping guide kids like Cody to get there shot at the next level! He will no doubt have success," commented coach Josh Rhoden.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Want to view a past mailbag? View archives. In last week's mailbag I mentioned the possible outcome of a folkstyle match between Cornell's Kyle Dake against David Taylor. The dustup surrounding their potential matchup was given some additional fuel at the Olympic Team Trials when Dake earned a fall over Taylor in the 74-kilo wrestlebacks. These guys can create quite the reader response. In honor of their to-be-wrestled match I've decided open up the floor for some interesting prompts, angles and questions about the most anticipated match/hypothetical rematch in recent memory. It's Memorial Day weekend, take some time with your family, burn some cow, and drink too much. If you're feeling like this guy then you probably deserve a few days off. Q: Two thoughts on David Taylor's loss to Kyle Dake: 1. The toss that Dake used would have been illegal in folk wrestling, yes? One cannot lock the hands in the center of the back. 2. That toss, from what I saw, injured Taylor, and affected the way he wrestled the rest of match. I hope the two wrestle each other many more times. -- Gregg B. Foley: I'm not sure if Taylor was injured in that first scramble. It's entirely possible he was just discouraged, though some type of physical hiccup wouldn't have been unimaginable -- 'twas an awkward position. The lock looked folkstyle legal. I've never seen any wrestler attempt anything similar in competition, but I don't see why you couldn't execute a double chicken wing meets bear hug from the front. The thing is, I would bet you tickets to the Belmont Stakes that there is NO CHANCE we see Dake try that move in the rematch, or if he did that Taylor would fall for it. Seemed like it might have been one of those, "I didn't WANT to lock my hands, but since you offered ... " I guess what the move left me questioning was just how Taylor could allow himself to fall into such a terrible position. Under no circumstances are you scoring by giving up that position, so why allow it to transpire? Overall, I think the scramble is a great anecdote about the styles of both wrestlers and possibly gives us a trailer into how their matchup next season might play out -- if they matchup at all. Dake punishes opponents for making mistakes. No matter how innocuous the errors seem ("I choose down!"), the three-time NCAA champion has made his legacy about scoring in bunches. While there are some consistent high-scorers in wrestling -- guys like Purdue All-American Jake Patacsil who scored thousands of points from his tilts, or takedown specialists like Ed Ruth who rack up a dozen +1 encounters in seven minutes. Dake plays defense first and is patient for large-format scoring opportunities. Where Dake capitalizes on mistakes, Taylor has a habit of starting slowly and getting in trouble when hanging out in bad positions. His often incredible offense (Cael's ankle pick series) seems to come to a halt when he reaches an uncomfortable spot. That hesitation, however brief, has left him to make a few questionable decisions, two of which have cost him high-profile losses (2011 NCAA finals vs. Bubba J). Dake scored his fall, which only would have been called in freestlye, from a fairly common kick back defense from Taylor's single. When Taylor didn't react well, Dake struck. Maybe he was hurt, maybe he was taken aback and it won't happen in the folkstyle match, but that type of scoring in bunches is what makes Dake a once-in-a-generation type wrestler, and in my opinion would give him the upper hand. Q: The world seems to be highly anticipating the 165-pound class next year with Caldwell, Howe, Taylor, and the possibility of Dake entering the fray. Based on what Dake has accomplished as a three-time NCAA champion, it would seem highly likely that he would crave the competition in the 165-pound class in his final year, capping off a historic career with an exclamation point if he were to win his fourth title over this caliber of competition. However, when questioned about the future weight class he prefers, Dake said he would do "Whatever is best for Cornell". While 157 is probably an easier road for his fourth title, and almost guarantees more championship points for the team, winning at 165, while perhaps less of a "certainty" also would block points from PSU, the clear team favorite for next year's NCAAs. How would you decide which weight would be best for the team? -- Brian G. Foley: I like that you took the team angle. What Dake can accomplish next year by becoming the third four-time NCAA Division I champion AND all at different weight classes seems incredible, and maybe slides him into consideration as the best ever. However, as you noted, Cornell has an outside chance to challenge Penn State for the NCAA title, especially if Dake secures the title at 157 pounds. Right now so much is uncertain about Dake and Howe (whose ACL/MCL tear might have him out until December making an appearance at 174 pounds seem more likely) that it's tough to line up and ask each coach what is best for their team. Cornell head coach Rob Koll is in an interesting situation with where to direct Dake. I think he'd prefer for him to happy and healthy first and if Kid Dynamite is cutting too much weight, he'd certainly encourage him to bump up to 165 pounds. But that is far from a certain outcome. (I hear new rumors every day.) The real question is what Mark Cody plans to do with Andrew Howe. The kid is a cold-cocked killer, but after an ACL repair he might have trouble trimming off the body fat and getting lean and mean for 165 pounds. Why not put him at 174 pounds? If I'm Mark Cody it's plausible that I push him up for what has to be a better shot at the NCAA title. From a team perspective the coaching staff in Norman has to think that they can get no worse at 174 from Howe than they would at 165 and likely they'll get more return on their investment should he get bumped up. Assume Howe wins it. Now assume Kendric Maple dorks up a bunch of people and earns five straight technical falls at the tournament on his way to an NCAA championship. If you add in a few more AAs like Travis Rutt and the Lester boys, and suddenly Oklahoma is in the hunt for top-four finish at the NCAA tournament. Like Koll, Cody will do what is best for Howe, and match his wrestler's needs with that of the program. Were this a video game I'd tell Howe to make the jump, but there is a lot of things that still need to happen between now and making that decision. Q: Bring Back The Robes! (And the moxie!) Remember when a team was good and they knew it and all the fans either for or against them knew it. Before all the PC and unemotional changes in wrestling. Can't you picture Dan Gable and Chris Taylor in those cardinal and gold robes? Half the fans cheering and the other half booing. I remember in high school that if a team was brave enough to wear silk robes and had matching headgear, you could either get intimidated or psyched up to bring them down. The closest thing we have now is probably Iowa and Penn State. You are either for or against them, not much in-between. Iowa wears the black, and Carver-Hawkeye is like a pit. Penn State is trying but those uniforms look like they came off the Steel Pier in Atlantic City with the diving horse. Cornell/PSU is heating up also. Remember some places where you used to wrestle when there was only a spotlight on the mat or the fans were so close you could smell them? Since you and the staff get around a lot, which are the most intimidating places and teams to wrestle and the things that make them that way. -Chris B Foley: I love this question! The robes should be brought back. Imagine if we could get Kyle Dake and David Taylor to wear one of these suckers for their maybe-never-going-to-happen match next season. I think that they won't don them for a myriad reasons, but none more than what you noted, the bland, unemotional state of college wrestling. Wrestling is a traditional sport and as such we think that whatever is going on now, AT THIS VERY SECOND, is that way it always was and the way it will always be. We are scared (rightfully at times) that we might bastardize our sport into some type of poor man's WWE. That type of professionalism in amateur, or openly competed wrestling, has happened across the world. In China the Han had street wrestlers who would openly compete for money, but over time they lost out on fans (and money) because there wasn't much of a flash to all the matches (sound familiar?) Soon they changed to choreographed matches and plotlines and business flourished. Save the street performance the same thing happened in America in the 1920's right before the amateur and the professional ranks first made their significant separation. Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson both wore robes at one timeSo ... robes? I think we can get back to some of that flair. Hell, like you wrote, Dan Gable wore a robe. Also, to be honest, robes keep you warm. To the fans who don't like robes, I ask you this: When you get out of the shower in a nice hotel, or treat yourself to a massage, what do you wear? A robe! Why? Because it keeps you warm when you ain't wearing a lot. Not sure if you've ever stood in a cold gym wearing nothing but a half-pound piece of lycra but it's not going to get you through the long, cold winter. On to your other brilliant insight which is that save a few schools, the college wrestling dual meet as an event can be pretty hokey. I like what Penn State and Cornell do, and I've heard that Minnesota can put on good show. Of course Carver-Hawkeye is one of the more intimidating places for anyone to wrestle. Also deserving credit for putting a lot of energy into their dual meets is best-dressed coach Tom Ryan who had a record crowd for Ohio State's dual meet with Michigan. I lost three dual meets in college, one to injury, one to someone who had my number, and one to Troy Letters at Grace Hall. I remember that place was rocking, but I never felt intimidated. I was actually MORE excited to wrestle, possibly because the fans there didn't seem to have a vitriolic disgust for the other team as much as an appreciation of effort. However, as a coach, I remember Cornell being the most intimidating place to wrestle. The fans are LOUD and they are right on top of the mat. There was the Redman guy doing pushups, music blaring, and they were wailing us. Overall it's probably pretty similar to what it feels like to be tortured. I'm sure that there are others that I'm missing, but for now that'll have to do. (I'm betting Michigan will also be rowdy in a few years!) Q: Jon Jones just got a DUI. Do you think it will affect his fighting career and endorsement deals? -- Lilly L. Foley: The action of young sports stars is one of the most popular topics in many other mailbags, and for good reason. There is NOTHING that people enjoy more than seeing the captain of the football team take a nose dive. We are culture that builds up personalities, seemingly so we can turn around and tear them back down. (You should definitely blame the media and Internet for this behavior.) But what Jon Jones did last Saturday morning wasn't some betrayal of trust for all the 6-year-old fans in America, it actually showed us two important things: 1. He's an idiot. 2. The media was already interested in your question almost without considering what could have happened to the passengers in the car. Jon Jones (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)I'm not a preacher (Jones' dad is), but let me riff for a second about the seriousness of drunk driving. People die. People die every day, in fact they die every 10 minutes because they or some bozo can't call a cab. It's obnoxious behavior for anyone, but especially somebody who could've afforded to call-in a helicopter to lift his Bentley from point A to point B. It's selfish and ignorant behavior for anyone, but for the rising star of the UFC it was extra careless. To your point, no he won't lose out on endorsement deals in the long term. Nike and Gatorade will come knocking in a few years to have him endorse their products. I guess he'll either become more real (his lack of genuine behavior irks fans) or he'll become more religious and be "humbled" by the experience. Honestly, I don't care if he signs with GEICO, for now he will have to suffer the PR fallout that directly assaults his character. Jones deserves it, he deserves ten-fold, but in the end we will all forgive him, because the only thing we like more in this world that to see the jock stumble, is to see him rise again. Q: Ivan Drago vs. Conan the Barbarian. -- @fullConcentr8 Foley: Location: Our combatants meet deep in the Ural Mountains, in a valley so narrow that the trees on the hillsides obscure it from being discovered by satellite. The property is owned by Alexander Karelin and the year is sometime mid-Hyborian. In case you were wondering, Karelin is also capable of time travel and brought along his dear friend Drago for the epic fight. Rules: No swords. No steroids. Hand-to-hand Roundup: Conan is NOT superhuman, though, according to Wikipedia he has killed scores of men with his back against the wall. That is not to say that he also hasn't been defeated, and even took a drumming at the hands/paws/mitts of Thak the Ape Man. Conan's popularity is likely derived from that fact that while he is physically gifted, he also excels as a tactician and wins battles by intelligence. Drago is a man-killer. His brutal slaying of Apollo led to his eventual downfall, and to that of the entire USSR. (How would we have recovered as a nation had Rocky lost? Answer: Poorly. We'd all be wearing the Hammer and Sickle, not just the 99-percenters.) Drago's power comes from drugs. He's an artificial creation, a lab rat. The fight starts with Karelin killing a Russian black bear with his bare hands as Vladimir Putin stands shirtless chanting poems he wrote as a grade-schooler (As I'm sure you know, Putin is nothing but Karelin's political puppet). With the blood of the black bear spilled on his land, Karelin asks the fighters to march forward. Conan bows in appreciation of Drago. The boxer returns with nothing but a nose-wrinkled snarl and grunt. Alexander Karelin is a man-killerThe fight is bare-knuckled and neither combatant wants to risk an early knockout, so they dance around each other for several minutes. Drago, under the encouragement of Putin, throws a haymaker with his right which Conan blocks with his left arm. The warrior then reaches down his back and unsheathes a sword which he then uses to lop off Drago's head then screams "Conan doesn't play by anybody's rules by Conan." Disappointed in the actions of his guest, and suffering from the loss of his friend, Karelin reverse lifts Conan dropping him mid-throw and breaking his neck. Winner: Alexander Karelin Wrestling in Hollywood: Joaquin Phoenix's new movie, The Master, has a clip of a beach wrestling tournament. Cool.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion University Wrestling program and head coach Steve Martin announced the addition of Alex Dolly to the coaching staff on Thursday. “We are extremely pleased to well come Alex Dolly to the Monarch wrestling program,” said Martin. “He will be working with our middle and upper weight classes. Alex brings with him a wealth of knowledge after being mentored at a Big Ten program for the last three seasons as an assistant. As an athlete, he has proved himself at a national level reaching the All-America round three times at Northern Iowa. As an international athlete, he is also very accomplished finishing ninth at the world championships for Ireland in 2011.” Dolly spent the last three seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan State where the Spartans sent 17 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships during his time in East Lansing, Mich. along with an All-American wrestler. Alex Dolly“I’d like to thank coach Martin, the university and the administrative staff for this opportunity,” said Dolly. “Old Dominion is a great place with terrific facilities and a strong history. I feel like I can bring a lot to the program after coaching the last three years at Michigan State and competing internationally. I’d like to thank the staff at Michigan State for the opportunity they gave me. I learned a great deal over the past three years in East Lansing. Moving to ODU is a great opportunity for my career and it’s nice to have the administration’s full support of the program here along with a great coaching staff.” While at Northern Iowa, Dolly wrestled at 184 pounds and earned four trips to the NCAA Championships and reached the round of 12 on three occasions. A native of Mishawaka, Ind., Dolly holds the state's all-time career takedown record with 548 and was a two-time USA Wrestling National All-American. In September 2011, Dolly represented Ireland at the 2011 FILA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Dolly wrestled in the 84-kilogram senior freestyle division and reached the quarterfinal round. He defeated Alvarez Martinez of Honduras in his opening match of the competition, 9-1, and followed that up with a 9-0 victory over Dejan Bogdanov of Macedonia. Dolly fell to Japan's Shinya Matsumoto in the quarterfinals, 6-4, finishing in ninth place at the 2011 World's. Dolly will complete his master’s degree in sports administration from Michigan State this summer.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The Big 12 Champion Missouri wrestling team has announced several additions to the coaching staff, as confirmed Thursday by head coach Brian Smith. Included in the changes is the promotion of former volunteer assistant Joe Johnston to a full time assistant position, along with two former Mizzou grapplers -- Mark Ellis and Todd Schavrien -- returning to join the coaching ranks. Todd Schavrien“We’re excited about these additions to our staff,” said head coach Brian Smith. “Every one of these coaches knows exactly what we are trying to do as a program and will be integral in us getting back on the podium at NCAA’s.” Johnston takes over as an assistant coach after spending the last four years on Missouri’s staff, with three of those year spent as the team’s volunteer assistant. The Kansas City, Mo., native joined the Mizzou staff for the 2008-09 campaign after spending two years as an assistant coach at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. “I’m extremely excited about getting to be even more involved in helping our team achieve their goals on the mat and helping them become good men off it,” said Johnston. “I have loved being a part of what is happening here at Missouri, and I think we are only going to keep getting better as a team.” He was a two-time All-American at the University of Iowa at 157 pounds, which included a runner-up finish in 2005. This past April, Johnston competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, competing at the 66 kg weight class in Freestyle. “I know Joe is looking forward to taking on more responsibility as a full time assistant,” said Smith. “He retired from Freestyle competition after this year’s Olympic Trials to put his time and effort into coaching and our program.” Mizzou’s first All-American at heavyweight returns to his alma mater as the volunteer assistant coach. Ellis became the second Mizzou wrestler to win a National Championship, finishing in first place at heavyweight at 2009. He picked up his second career All-America recognition in 2010 when he took sixth. The last two years, Ellis has been training and competing in MMA. He won his first career bout via submission over Jake Heun on Aug. 27, 2011. “Mark Ellis brings a great work ethic and passion for our program and will make an immediate impact on our upper weight classes,” Smith claimed. Returning to round out the staff, Schavrien comes back to Mizzou and will serve as the team’s Director of Operations. Schavrien claimed the Big 12 title at 141 pounds in 2011 and went on to become an All-American later that season with a sixth place finish at the NCAA Championships. A three-time NCAA qualifier, Schavrien spent last season as an assistant coach at Drexel University. “Getting Todd to come back to Mizzou was so important for us,” Smith said. “He brings a great attitude and will assist in running the day-to-day operations of the program.” Additionally, the program will be expanding the current wrestling facility to allow for an Olympic development center. More information will be released as the projected progresses. Stay up-to-date on the program by following them on Facebook (facebook.com/MizzouWrestling) and Twitter (@MizzouWrestling) and visiting mutigers.com.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives Most everyone at this point is kicking dirt at the Nevada State Athletic Commission for its uneven handling of Nick Diaz's marijuana use and Chael Sonnen's supposed medical need for extra testosterone. Sonnen's been called a lot of things, but "honest" wasn't one of them until Nevada's commissioners finished sucking up to him. So we figured we'd jump on the bandwagon and point out their blatant stupidity. Moving on to less aggravating matters, in this episode we also discuss Daniel Cormier's big win in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix and where he now stands in the division, and preview the weekend's heavyweight-heavy UFC 146 main card.

Philippi, W. Va -- Alderson-Broaddus College and Athletic Director Dennis Creehan are pleased to announced the hiring of Mitch Smith as the first head coach of the new A-B Wrestling Team that will begin Division II competition during the 2013-14 season. "We are very excited about our new wrestling program and more importantly, we are very excited to have Mitch Smith as our leader when we begin," said Mr. Creehan. "While many other colleges have dropped wrestling, we see Alderson-Broaddus as a home for wrestlers who would like to continue their careers beyond high school. Mitch has done an outstanding job with the West Liberty program and we believe he is the right man to begin and lead our program." Mitch SmithSmith comes to Philippi after a two year stint as the Assistant Wrestling Coach at West Liberty University. "I want to thank President Richard Creehan, Athletic Director Dennis Creehan and all the members of the selection committee for giving me this great opportunity. I'm excited to start a program from the ground up and look forward to getting Alderson-Broaddus College nationally recognized as an up-and-coming wrestling powerhouse. I look forward to having the right student athletes come to Alderson-Broaddus College and am excited about the future of the wrestling program." During his time with the Hilltoppers he helped the program to a 17th place national finish in both 2011 and 2012, while producing three All-Americans and seven national qualifiers. In addition to those honors, eight Hilltopper Wrestlers earned Academic All-American status during his tenure. Prior to his coaching career, Smith was a highly decorated high school and collegiate wrestler. While at Ripley H.S., he compiled a 190-3 record on his way to winning three Class AAA State Wrestling Championships and earning seven National High School Wrestling All-American Honors. Following his high school career, Smith went on to be a two time NCAA All American at West Liberty University finishing 2nd and 4th at the NCAA D2 National Tournament. For more information on the new Alderson-Broaddus Battler Wrestling program, go to www.gobattlers.com

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. 222 athletes started the Olympic Trials process and some of the 17 we've qualified join us on Takedown Wrestling Radio this Saturday 9 to 11 a.m. CT. This week's guests: 9:03 Tim Sylvia, Former UFC heavyweight champion 9:20 Mark Cody, Oklahoma head wrestling coach 9:40 Josh Liebman, Adam Frey Classic organizer 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:00 Michael Novogratz, Beat the Streets chairman 10:20 Monty Cox, MMA agent 10:40 Michael Jernigan, Westside High School (Neb.) 10:50 Amy Ruble Wildrose Casino and Resort GM

The college wrestling season is five months long, poorly monetized and left uncovered by the main stream media. The time has come to make significant changes, starting with the schedule. The five-month, two semester college wrestling season culminates with NCAA Wrestling Championships in March (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Think about the basic frustrations of a college wrestling season. Why is it one of the only sports to fully straddle two semesters? Why do our athletes miss several major holidays and spring break? Why do our teams spend the winter months competing in dank gymnasiums, largely ignored by fans and media, only to emerge for one enormous weekend of traditional media coverage? The answer seems to be the one mothers recite all too often, "Well, because I said so." In this case, Mother is the NCAA. When the season schedule for wrestling was first outlined, presumably by men in the 1960s puffing cigars, wearing sweater vests, and watching "I Love Lucy," there was no script for how non-revenue sports might one day adapt to current for-profit demands of NCAA member institutions. Likewise, when they met to come up with a schedule they in no way could have predicted that in the new century non-revenue sports would be capability to become profitable. That is of course the new reality, but as sports like lacrosse speed by wrestling, the current NCAA administrators seem to be content to hang back and watch the opportunity to make significant and positive changes. Can you blame them? It can be tough to find the motivation to assist the student-athletes of one of your founding sports when you're flying in private jets and resting your haunches inside a headquarters which recently underwent a modest $40 million renovation. To please the ever-expanding kingdom of OZ, college wrestling must provide an appropriate tribute, or specifically: cash-money. If that ploy doesn't pull them in, we could also compel them with stories of wrestling welfare. (Five months is WAY too long to keep you weight down.) Wrestling is profitable to the NCAA, but because we seem partial to our current schedule, or we lack the political capital to make changes we are putting at risk the chance to see what a single semester season might look like. A four-month season, January to April, with an emphasis on national exposure could help the sport's long-term financial feasibility and provide increased potential for social connectivity. But what about tradition? College sports are about TRADITION! Greg Turnbull and his WVU Mountaineers are Big 12-bound (Photo/WVU Sports Information)Put down your team's colors for a moment and step away from the Big Ten Network and you'll see that the only thing sacred in college sports is money. Just look at the recent conference realignments. The football team from Morgantown will be competing in the Big 12, while the team from Columbia, Missouri will be playing in the SEC. The laws of conference alignment by region have been obliterated by the capitalist hammer. But that loss of warm-and-cuddly tradition can be exploited for financial gain. Wrestling needs to capitalize on this tumult and secure it's long-term viability in the amateur sports marketplace. Let's be clear, this is not just an issue of money. College wrestlers begin unofficial practices the day they step on a college campus, and after four weeks those practices become mandated and turn into full-fledged combat hours. That level of intensity is carried on for five months! When compared to other nation's traditional wrestling, or even the schedule of countries that have robust freestyle and Greco-Roman schedules, the college system looks dangerously dense with competition and practices. Hell, even NFL players only practice with pads on a dozen times after the start of the season. Wrestling's sustained exertion, weight loss, and competition schedule are brutal enough that they eliminate a portion of wrestlers due to injury, stress, and frustration (ten percent fo each squad, each season?). Understandably that culling process is part of what makes wrestling special -- that the sport is sometimes too difficult to ask everyone to make it to the end. Yet what if the season were 4-6 weeks shorter and placed within ONE semester? What would be the outcome? Would we have more wrestlers? Happier wrestlers? What about HEALTHIER wrestlers? Student-athletes would benefit from enjoying some time with their families on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. By allowing them a first semester of moderate training first-year athletes will have a better acclimation to college life and better focus on their schoolwork and find a functioning balance in their social life. Wrestling purists like to think of sacrifice as part of the sport, another layer that separates wrestlers from that of the athletes who play games. But they're wrong. Having to suffer through a sauna workout on Thanksgiving doesn't fill you with toughness, or imbue you with courage. It drains your cells of water. Wrestling has momentum from which to build its case. We are making money for the NCAA and with a solid plan by members of the NCAA Wrestling Committee they might be able to compel the organization to take a look at the issue from a social welfare and academic standpoint, if not a monetary one. (It's also expensive to keep kids over holiday breaks.) The committee is rumored to have once against discussed the idea of a schedule change at this year's mid-April meeting in Indianapolis, but we won't receive the report for a few more weeks. It's inevitable that there will be some resistance. Scheduling changes would upset the balance that many schools have come to enjoy and wrestling would have to re-imagine the placement of our top secondary events like the NWCA All-Star Classic, Cliff Keen Vegas Invitational, Midlands, and National Duals. It'll be challenging, but these are doable because the upshot is better competition and more fans. Should our leaders find that they have the political capital to move the schedule to better organize the season we could very likely see a major rebirth of the sport, potentially additional programs. This is not some pipe dream. When colleges see the exposure that they could receive from having a member of their team win an NCAA title and make the top ten highlights, they might just feel it's time to take a chance. The potential for profit has made minds wander to odder business models. Cornell fans cheer after Kyle Dake wins his third NCAA title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Want to take a peek at what more severe scheduling restrictions look like for the outcome of a program? Cornell, because of Ivy League restrictions, has fewer dates and fewer official practices. Before they changed their methodology form rise-and-grind to student welfare, who would've ever thought the Big Red would be a perennial powerhouse at the NCAA tournament? Crazy things are possible when we are willing to examine the benefits and eschew our natural inclination towards traditionalism. College wrestling has never been more popular. Now is the time to make it better, to attack, not sit back and play defense.

Andrew Howe

The U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off for the 60 kg/132 lbs. position on the U.S. Olympic Team in men’s freestyle wrestling will be held in New York City on Thursday, June 7. The event will be held alongside the USA vs. Russia international freestyle dual meet set for Times Square in New York City, also on Thursday, June 7. Three wrestlers will participate in the U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off: Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC) Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) Coleman Scott, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) The U.S. Olympic Team Wrestle-off became necessary because the United States had not yet qualified to compete at the London Olympic Games at 60 kg/132 lbs. in men’s freestyle prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling in Iowa City, Iowa, April 21-22. According to the Olympic Trials Procedures for Men’s Freestyle Wrestling, USA Wrestling could hold athletes out of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in order to participate in Olympic Games Qualifying Events. Bunch and Humphrey were chosen to train for the Olympic Games Qualifiers. Also according to the Olympic Trials Procedures, the winner of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the weight class would also become eligible for the Secondary Olympic Trials if the United States was able to qualify the weight class. Scott was the champion at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City. On April 27, Bunch placed third in the World Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Taiyuan, China, which qualified the United States to compete in the London Games at 60 kg/132 lbs. At that event, the top three athletes in each weight class qualified their nation to participate in the Olympics. Based upon the Olympic Trials Procedures, as the athlete who qualified the USA for the Olympics, Bunch moves directly into the best-of-three Championship Series for the Olympic berth. Earlier on June 7, there will be a single preliminary match between Humphrey and Scott to determine which athlete advances to the Championship Series against Bunch. The match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Times Square. Bunch will face the Humphrey/Scott winner in the first match of the Championship Series at 6:00 p.m. in Times Square. The second match will be held at approximately 7:20 p.m. If necessary, the third match will be held at approximately 8:20 p.m. Bunch was ranked No. 2 at 60 kg/132 lbs. on 2011-2012 Freestyle Team USA. He placed second in both the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2011 World Team Trials. He was a member of the 2009 U.S. World Team and has won two U.S. Open titles. He was an NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American for Edinboro and hails from Leavenworth, Kan. Humphrey was ranked No. 1 on 2011-2012 Freestyle Team USA. He placed ninth in the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Humphrey won the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials. He is a two-time University World Championships medalist. He was an NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American for Ohio State and hails from Indianapolis, Ind. Scott was ranked No. 3 on 2011-2012 Freestyle Team USA. He won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, defeating Logan Stieber in the Championship Series. He went undefeated in five matches at the 2012 Freestyle World Cup. He was third at the World Team Trials the last three years and was a 2008 U.S. Open runner-up. Scott was a 2008 NCAA champion and four-time All-American for Oklahoma State and hails from Waynesburg, Pa. The international dual meet between the United States and Russia will feature the other six U.S. men’s freestyle wrestlers who won titles at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and will represent the United States this summer at the London Games. The U.S. lineup will feature Olympic Trials champions Sam Hazewinkel (55 kg), Jared Frayer (66 kg), Jordan Burroughs (74 kg), Jake Herbert (84 kg), Jake Varner (96 kg) and Tervel Dlagnev (120 kg). Competing in the dual at 60 kg will be Olympic Trials runner-up Logan Stieber. Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. has also announced two additional Senior-level exhibition matches featuring top stars in both men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling. There will be a battle at 74 kg/163 lbs. in men’s freestyle between college wrestling sensation and three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake (Ithaca, N.Y./New York AC) and a two-time Olympian and NCAA champion Matt Gentry of Canada. Dake has won three NCAA titles for Cornell University, and became the first wrestler ever to win NCAA Div. I national titles at three different weight classes. Dake placed an impressive fourth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in freestyle wrestling. Gentry, who grew up in Oregon, was an NCAA champion for Stanford University. He competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for Canada and has qualified to compete again at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. Gentry recently beat a strong international field to win the Pan American Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Florida. The women’s match will be a battle between two-time U.S. World Team member and three-time FILA Junior World medalist Helen Maroulis (Rockville, Md./New York AC) and 2011 U.S. World Team Trials runner-up Ashley Hudson (Wildwood, Mo./Gator WC-OCU). Maroulis competed in the 2008 and 2011 World Championships for the United States. She was recently second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Hudson was a WCWA college national champion for Oklahoma City University, and has won a USA Wrestling University Nationals title. In addition to the U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg, the USA vs. Russia dual meet and the two Senior-level exhibition matches, there will be a number of Beat the Streets high school and junior high school youth wrestling matches held in Times Square at 3:00 p.m. Below is the most current tentative schedule for all of the wrestling competition set for Times Square on Thursday, June 7. U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS WRESTLE-OFF AT 60 KG At Duffy Square in Times Square, New York, N.Y., June 7 Preliminary Match Reece Humphrey, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) vs. Coleman Scott, Stillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) Best of Three Championship Series Shawn Bunch, Columbus, Ohio (Gator WC) vs. winner of Humphrey vs. Scott match TENTATIVE BEAT THE STREETS GALA COMPETITION SCHEDULE At Duffy Square in Times Square, New York, N.Y., June 7 1:00 PM – U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Humphrey vs. Scott preliminary 3:00 PM – Beat the Streets youth wrestling exhibition matches 6:00 PM - U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Championship Series Match 1 – Bunch vs. Humphrey/Scott winner 6:10 PM – 55 kg women’s freestyle exhibition – Maroulis vs. Hudson 6:40 PM – USA vs. Russia freestyle dual meet – 55 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg matches 7:10 PM – 74 kg men’s freestyle exhibition – Dake vs. Gentry 7:25 PM - U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Championship Series Match 2 – Bunch vs. Humphrey/Scott winner 7:40 PM - USA vs. Russia freestyle dual meet – 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg, 120 kg matches 8:20 PM - U.S. Olympic Trials Wrestle-off at 60 kg – Championship Series Match 3 (if necessary)– Bunch vs. Humphrey/Scott winner ABOUT BEAT THE STREETS The Mission of the Beat the Streets Wrestling Program is to expand and develop wrestling in the New York City Metropolitan area from the youth through the Olympic level. Our dream is to provide opportunities for boys and girls in the activity of wrestling, building lifelong skills. If you share this mission and would like to volunteer to help, please contact volunteer@beat-the-streets.org.

Kip Janvrin and Chas Betts will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, May 23. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. Email dgmstaff@nwhof.org with questions or comments about the show. Janvrin is the co-head track coach at the University of Central Missouri. A native of Panora, Iowa, he was an Olympian in the decathlon in 2000. Janvrin will play as a celebrity in the Dan Gable Celebrity Golf Tournament on Monday, June 11. Betts will compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling at 185 pounds. He was also a member of the 2009 U.S. World championship team. Betts competes for the Minnesota Storm Wrestling Club.

When it comes to success in college wrestling -- be it at the team or individual level -- there is no substitute for pure talent and ability. The key driver in team success at the college level is procuring those talented individuals, and rankings are one indicator of that. Rankings include the individual weight class rankings and grade rankings, as well as these recruiting class rankings that seek to measure how Division I programs did in procuring the talent of the present class. 2012 Recruiting Class Rankings 1. Iowa 2. Lehigh 3. Oklahoma 4. Cornell 5. Oklahoma State 6. Nebraska 7. Michigan 8. Illinois 9. Iowa State 10. Wisconsin 11. Minnesota 12. Ohio State 13. North Carolina 14. Stanford 15. Northern Iowa 16. Penn State 17. Cal Poly 18. Indiana 19. Northwestern 20. Harvard 21. Drexel 22. Oregon State 23. Old Dominion 24. Virginia Tech 25. OhioAn analysis of the NCAA tournament qualifiers for two-time defending Division I national champion Penn State more than confirms this premise. Out of the 12 wrestlers that captured the 17 qualification spots in the last two seasons (eight in 2011, nine in 2012), 10 of them were multiple-time state champions and all had won at least one state or National Prep title. It should also be noted that during their high school career, 10 of these wrestlers were also finalists at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, Junior Nationals (Fargo), and/or a FILA Junior World freestyle medalist There is also a clear correlation between being talented as a prep wrestler and the potential for success as a Division I college wrestler. Among this year's eight NCAA finalists from the Classes of 2009 through 2011, five were top five recruits in their graduating class, and all were inside the Top 50. Among this year's Division I All-Americans from the Class of 2009, right around two-thirds of them were Top 100 recruits coming out of high school. For immediate impact stars, the correlation is even greater. Seven of the eight wrestlers to earn All-American honors at this year's NCAA tournament from the Class of 2010 were ranked as Top 100 recruits, six of them inside the Top 25. Finally, for the ultimate of immediate impact, all six true freshman All-Americans were ranked inside the Top 30 of the Class of 2011 -- with eight other Top 30 members earning qualifying spots in the NCAA tournament. Without further ado here are the 2012 team recruiting class rankings. 1. Iowa Top 100 Recruits: No. 8 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 10 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), No. 14 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 15 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa), and No. 49 Alex Meyer (Southeast Polk, Iowa) Impact Newcomer: Nathan Burak (Coronado, Colo./USOTC) Other Notables: Topher Carton (Davenport Assumption, Iowa), Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa) Commentary: This marks a second No. 1 class in three years, and third top five class in four years for Tom Brands and the Hawkeyes. Even though Penn State has won the last two national titles, Dan Gable and the Brands brothers have established Iowa as the brand in college wrestling. All aspects of the program sell itself, and the nation's elite have bought in. Gilman, Brooks, Clark, Meyer, and Burak were all Junior National freestyle All-Americans last summer; while Skonieczny brings significant off-season folkstyle credentials to the table (success at the Super 32, FloNationals, and Disney Duals). Read analysis for all 25 teams. Not an InterMat Platinum subscriber? Subscribe now!

When it comes to success in college wrestling -- be it at the team or individual level -- there is no substitute for pure talent and ability. The key driver in team success at the college level is procuring those talented individuals, and rankings are one indicator of that. Rankings include the individual weight class rankings and grade rankings, as well as these recruiting class rankings that seek to measure how Division I programs did in procuring the talent of the present class. 2012 Recruiting Class Rankings 1. Iowa 2. Lehigh 3. Oklahoma 4. Cornell 5. Oklahoma State 6. Nebraska 7. Michigan 8. Illinois 9. Iowa State 10. Wisconsin 11. Minnesota 12. Ohio State 13. North Carolina 14. Stanford 15. Northern Iowa 16. Penn State 17. Cal Poly 18. Indiana 19. Northwestern 20. Harvard 21. Drexel 22. Oregon State 23. Old Dominion 24. Virginia Tech 25. OhioAn analysis of the NCAA tournament qualifiers for two-time defending Division I national champion Penn State more than confirms this premise. Out of the 12 wrestlers that captured the 17 qualification spots in the last two seasons (eight in 2011, nine in 2012), 10 of them were multiple-time state champions and all had won at least one state or National Prep title. It should also be noted that during their high school career, 10 of these wrestlers were also finalists at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, Junior Nationals (Fargo), and/or a FILA Junior World freestyle medalist There is also a clear correlation between being talented as a prep wrestler and the potential for success as a Division I college wrestler. Among this year's eight NCAA finalists from the Classes of 2009 through 2011, five were top five recruits in their graduating class, and all were inside the Top 50. Among this year's Division I All-Americans from the Class of 2009, right around two-thirds of them were Top 100 recruits coming out of high school. For immediate impact stars, the correlation is even greater. Seven of the eight wrestlers to earn All-American honors at this year's NCAA tournament from the Class of 2010 were ranked as Top 100 recruits, six of them inside the Top 25. Finally, for the ultimate of immediate impact, all six true freshman All-Americans were ranked inside the Top 30 of the Class of 2011 -- with eight other Top 30 members earning qualifying spots in the NCAA tournament. Without further ado here are the 2012 team recruiting class rankings. 1. Iowa Top 100 Recruits: No. 8 Nate Skonieczny (Walsh Jesuit, Ohio), No. 10 Thomas Gilman (Skutt Catholic, Neb.), No. 14 Sam Brooks (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.), No. 15 Cory Clark (Southeast Polk, Iowa), and No. 49 Alex Meyer (Southeast Polk, Iowa) Impact Newcomer: Nathan Burak (Coronado, Colo./USOTC) Other Notables: Topher Carton (Davenport Assumption, Iowa), Connor Ryan (Bettendorf, Iowa) Commentary: This marks a second No. 1 class in three years, and third top five class in four years for Tom Brands and the Hawkeyes. Even though Penn State has won the last two national titles, Dan Gable and the Brands brothers have established Iowa as the brand in college wrestling. All aspects of the program sell itself, and the nation's elite have bought in. Gilman, Brooks, Clark, Meyer, and Burak were all Junior National freestyle All-Americans last summer; while Skonieczny brings significant off-season folkstyle credentials to the table (success at the Super 32, FloNationals, and Disney Duals). 2. Lehigh Top 100 Recruits: No. 12 Doug Vollaro (Pine Castle Christian, Fla.), No. 23 Brandon Griffin (Sprague, Ore.), No. 31 Mitch Minotti (Easton, Pa.), No. 37 Randy Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), No. 45 Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.), and No. 72 Elliott Riddick (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) Other Notables: Laike Gardner (Biglerville, Pa.), Ben Haas (Salamanca, N.Y.), Zach Diekel (Whitehall, N.Y.), Arty Walsh (Schuylkill Valley, Pa.), and David Jeffrey (Parkersburg South, W.V.) Commentary: Even with being a perennially strong program, this recruiting class represents a significant milestone for the Mountain Hawks. It is a group that restocks the roster across the weight classes, and does so with extreme talent that has thrived on the biggest stages (i.e. Fargo, Super 32, and some of the most rigorous in-season and state tournaments). 3. Oklahoma Top 100 Recruits: No. 43 Clark Glass (Brandon, Fla.), No. 54 Brad Johnson (Lockport, Ill.), No. 61 Ross Larson (Ankeny, Iowa), No. 66 Matt Reed (Wichita Heights, Kan.), and No. 94 Kyle Garcia (Choctaw, Okla.) Impact Transfers: Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) and Travis Rutt (Wisconsin) Other Notable: Greg Wilson (Keller Central, Tex.) Commentary: Unlike at American University, where head coach Mark Cody started with a less than ideal environment, things in his second year with the Sooners are ideal to say the least. The administrative commitment is exceedingly strong, and he has one of the best sets of assistant coaches in Division I wrestling (Michael Lightner, Jared Frayer, and Tyrone Lewis). That environment has attracted five Top 100 recruits into the fold, along with the services of NCAA Division I All-Americans Howe and Rutt for their senior seasons. 4. Cornell Top 100 Recruits: No. 5 Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), No. 9 Alex Cisneros (Selma, Calif.), No. 18 Brian Realbuto (Somers, N.Y.), No. 25 Steve Congenie (Villa Park, Ill.), and No. 64 Dylan Palacio (Long Beach, N.Y.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Gabe Dean (Lowell, Mich.) Other Notables: Angelo Silvestro (Marmion Academy, Ill.) and Taylor Simaz (Allegan, Mich.) Commentary: For four straight years, the Big Red have found themselves in the top five of the standings at the NCAA Tournament, including runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011. Strong recruiting hauls, such as this one, have been key in building success for Rob Koll's program. Grey and Palacio were champions at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, Cisneros won a FloNationals title, and Congenie returned to the mats with a Junior National folkstyle title after missing his senior season due to injury. 5. Oklahoma State Top 100 Recruits: No. 4 Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.), No. 22 Kyle Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.), No. 77 Chase Ferman (Broken Arrow, Okla.), No. 79 Case Garrison (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and No. 100 Nolan Boyd (Deer Creek, Okla.) Impact Transfer: Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma) Other Notable: Brian Crutchmer (Tulsa Union, Okla.) Commentary: Yet again, it's more of the same for John Smith and staff in Stillwater. Another terrific haul of prospects led by the Rogers, who finished the season No. 1 in his weight class, and a solid group of Oklahoma natives led by NHSCA Senior All-Americans Kyle Crutchmer and Boyd. Also key to the class is 2011 NCAA runner-up Caldwell, who has two years of competitive eligibility remaining. 6. Nebraska Top 100 Recruits: No. 17 Tim Dudley (Irmo, S.C.), No. 52 Tim Lambert (Forest Hills Eastern, Mich.), No. 60 Ben Morgan (Forest Lake, Minn.), and No. 96 Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Lockport, Ill.) Impact Transfer: Frank Cagnina (Iowa Central) Other Notables: Skyler Wood (Platte County, Missouri) and McCoy Newberg (Independence, Tenn.) Commentary: Head coach Mark Manning continues to bring in excellent wrestlers to Lincoln on a yearly basis, with this being a fourth straight top six recruiting class for the Cornhuskers. This class addresses a cross-section of the lineup, with the lower-weights being a primary focus, as four of the seven listed wrestlers fit into the first two-to-three weight classes. 7. Michigan Top 100 Recruits: No. 2 Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich.), No. 13 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.), and No. 28 Jordan Thomas (Greenville, Mich.) Impact Transfer: Conor Youtsey (Mason, Mich.) Commentary: One of the major stories of last off-season was the coaching staff and cultural overhaul in the Michigan wrestling wrestling program. The Wolverines added Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff as assistant coaches, while the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club became a bona fide regional training center -- the home of U.S. Olympian Jake Herbert among others. A residual benefit is an excellent recruiting class that includes three top 30 prospects, including the very impressive Massa who went undefeated in high school. 8. Illinois Top 100 Recruits: No. 21 Zane Richards (Carbondale, Ill.), No. 24 Nikko Reyes (Clovis West, Calif.), and No. 47 Zac Brunson (Churchill, Ore.) Impact Transfer: Steven Rodrigues (Fox Lane, N.Y.) Other Notable: John Fahy (Trinity, Ky.) Commentary: Similar to Michigan, the Fighting Illini underwent a transformation last summer with coaching staff changes, as Mark Perry and Cory Cooperman came into the fold. The effect of those changes was felt immediately in terms of on the mat performance, as well as with this excellent group of recruits -- Junior National freestyle champions Richards and Brunson, FloNationals champion Reyes, along with newcomer Rodrigues who was a FILA Junior freestyle champion last month. 9. Iowa State Top 100 Recruits: No. 6 John Meeks (Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa), No. 29 Gabriel Moreno (Urbandale, Iowa), and No. 99 Dakota Bauer (Iowa City West, Iowa) Impact Newcomer: Destin McCauley (Apple Valley, Minn./USOTC) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Kyle Larson (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa) Other Notable: Jesse Doyle (Wheatmore, N.C.) Commentary: Things in Ames have been very “up-and-down” since Cael Sanderson left for Happy Valley. Recruiting has been very uneven, as the 2009 and 2011 classes were barren, with this class and the 2010 class residing inside the top ten. The lone All-American over the last two seasons was national champion Jon Reader in 2011. Led by four-time state champion Meeks, who did not lose a match in his prep career, the Cyclones capitalized on an excellent in-state senior class. This group, combined with those from 2010, should held return the program to its rightful state of national relevance. 10. Wisconsin Top 100 Recruits: No. 19 Isaac Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), No. 44 Ryan Taylor (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), and No. 92 Rylan Lubeck (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Phillip Laux (Iowa City West, Iowa), Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa), and Keegan Gennrich (Hortonville, Wis.) Commentary: Like at Iowa State, there has been some tension in the wrestling program air up in Madison. The loss of assistant coach Donnie Pritzlaff to Michigan, Destin McCauley choosing to matriculate as a Cyclone instead of a Badger, and the transfers of Howe and Rutt to Oklahoma leave some questions in the mind of Wisconsin fans. However, there are clear positives with 2011 All-American Tyler Graff returning from Olympic redshirt and a second consecutive top ten recruiting haul coming to campus. 11. Minnesota Top 100 Recruits: No. 41 Michael Kroells (Scott West, Minn.), No. 58 Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.), No. 62 Brandon Kingsley (Apple Valley, Minn.), No. 80 Dylan Reel (Washington, Ill.), and No. 88 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, Minn.) Other Notables: Jordan Bremer (Woodbury Central Moville, Iowa), Cody Phillips (Union County, Ind.), and Zane Zeman (Avon, Ohio) Commentary: Though this is a second consecutive Golden Gopher class that is outside the top ten, it is yet again another class that will provide significant talent and depth for J. Robinson and crew, in particular in the lower three weight classes -- with four of these prospects projected to fit in at those weights. With the Gophers having a stacked roster this coming year, the incoming freshmen will have time to develop and refine their craft before taking their turns in the starting lineup. 12. Ohio State Top 100 Recruits: No. 39 Nick Roberts (North Star, Pa.) and No. 40 Mark Martin (St. Edward, Ohio) Impact newcomer: Chris Phillips (Monroeville, Ohio) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Nick Tavanello (Wadsworth, Ohio) Commentary: Though it is a small class in terms of quantity, all four wrestlers are high quality. It is led by Phillips, a four-time state champion, and high school teammate of national champion Logan Stieber, as well as Hunter Stieber and Cam Tessari, who both earned All-American honors last year as true freshmen. Despite graduating high school in 2011, Fall 2012 will mark his collegiate debut. The additional wrestlers in this class are Roberts, a three-time state champion, seems to be a possible career 125 -- which is a hard find; Martin, a two-time state champion, is a wrestler with tremendous upside; while Tavanello is a three-time state champion, and enters a terrific environment for upper-weights with a whole litany of training partners and instruction available. 13. North Carolina Top 100 Recruits: No. 33 Joey Ward (Cincinnati Moeller, Ohio), No. 42 Nathan Kraisser (Centennial, Md.), and No. 89 Jacob Crawford (Millbrook, Va.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Cody Klempay (Canon McMillan, Pa.) Other Notables: Ryan Harrington (West Morris Mendham, N.J.) and Joey Moon (Southern Alamance, N.C.) Commentary: Following last year's tenth-ranked recruiting class, the Tar Heels bring another excellent group of wrestlers to campus anchored by lower weight stars in Kraisser and Ward; while Moon, Crawford, and Harrington are multi-time state champions as projected middleweights; and Klempay fits in as a heavyweight. 14. Stanford Top 100 Recruits: No. 50 Josh Marchok (Schaumburg, Ill.), No. 68 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), No. 87 James Wilson (McNair, Calif.), and No. 95 Max Hvolbek (Blair Academy, N.J.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Matt Garelli (Oak Park Fenwick, Ill.) Other Notable: Peter Galli (St. Paul's, Md.) Commentary: This marks a third top 20 recruiting class in four years under the leadership of Jason Borelli, and builds upon the momentum of another excellent season for the Cardinal -- as they finished 16th at the NCAA tournament with a pair of wrestlers earning All-American honors. Borelli continues to find high-level wrestlers with the athletic and academic talent necessary to thrive in Palo Alto. 15. Northern Iowa Top 100 Recruits: No. 53 Cooper Moore (Jackson County Central, Minn.), No. 65 Dylan Peters (Denver-Tripoli, Iowa), and No. 76 Zach Witte (Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Jared Bartel (Mason City, Iowa) Other Notable: Curt Maas (Medford, Minn.) Commentary: Head coach Doug Schwab capitalized upon excellent senior classes in Iowa and Minnesota to procure a strong group of wrestlers, as all five listed here earned state championship medals this year. In all these wrestlers combined for eleven state titles during their prep careers. Peters, a three-time state champion, projects as a lower-weight; while the other four should fill slots in the middle-to-upper portion of the lineup. 16. Penn State Top 100 Recruit: No. 3 Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) Impact Transfer: Jimmy Lawson (Monmouth University) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Wes Phipps (Grove City, Pa.) Other Notable: Zach Beitz (Juniata, Pa.) Commentary: After consecutive banner recruiting classes, the Nittany Lions drop back a bit in the recruiting rankings this year. Despite that, head Coach Cael Sanderson has a stacked lineup for 2012-13 and is on the verge of building an empire in Happy Valley. Four-time state champion Gulibon, and multi-time New Jersey state champion Lawson could be called on to step into the lineup immediately; Gulibon at 125 or 133, while the Lawson would fit in at 285 after playing football at Monmouth the last couple of years. Phipps and Beitz are solid wrestlers, who won state titles this past year in the Keystone State. 17. Cal Poly Top 100 Recruits: No. 16 Max Schneider (Chicago Lane Tech, Ill.) and No. 74 Victor Pereira (Newark Memorial, Calif.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Blake Kastl (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) and J.T. Goodwin (Bear Creek, Calif.) Other Notables: Colt Shorts (Canon McMillan, Pa.), Devon Lotito (Bethlehem Liberty, Pa.), Conor King (Poway, Calif.), and Justin Walker (De La Salle, Calif.) Commentary: Using a California core, along with a smattering of Midwest and mid-Atlantic wrestlers, head coach Brendan Buckley has assembled an excellent group of wrestlers to come on board at Cal Poly. Two-time state champion Schneider, a Cadet World champion in Judo, is the anchor of this class along with three-time state medalist Pereira. The prospects address roster needs throughout the whole lineup in terms of quality and depth. 18. Indiana Top 100 Recruits: No. 34 Quinton Murphy (Holley Central, N.Y.) and No. 75 Jared McKinley (Perry Meridian, Ind.) Impact Transfer: Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech) Other Notable: Nathan Jackson (Marian Catholic, Ill.) Commentary: This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Hoosiers have earned a top 25 ranking for their recruiting class. Headlining the group is three-time state champion Murphy and two-time state champion McKinley, both of whom were Junior National freestyle All-Americans last summer. In addition, Spjut was a NCAA Division I qualifier this past year and should fit in the lineup immediately with two years of eligibility remaining. 19. Northwestern Top 100 Recruits: No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.) and No. 32 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) Other Notables: Garrison White (Robinson, N.C.) and Ben Sullivan (Apple Valley, Minn.) Commentary: The Wildcats recruiting haul is anchored by the top prospect in all the Class of 2012 in four-time state champion Tsirtsis. He was absolutely dominant in both all-star matches, and has thrived on the big stages of major national competitions over his four year high school career. Likewise, four-time National Prep placer (two-time champ) Malone should also do big things over his career in Evanston. 20. Harvard Top 100 Recruits: No. 36 Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, N.J.) and No. 57 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Nick Gajdzik (Stoney Creek, Mich.) Other Notables: Jeffrey Ott (Belmont Hill, Mass.) Commentary: Despite missing his senior year, Gobbo has a lot of talent the potential to achieve big things during his time with the Crimson. He won the Beast of the East during his junior campaign, and had already earned two placements in the Garden State and at the Super 32, before sustaining an injury during the quarterfinals of the Super 32 this past October. Augmenting this solid class for the Crimson are three-time National Prep champion Preston, state champion Gajdzik, and 2010 Nation Prep champion Ott; Preston and Ott each earned Junior National freestyle All-American honors last summer. 21. Drexel Top 100 Recruits: No. 56 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) and No. 59 Gage Harrah (Crystal Lake Central, Ill.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Steven Elicegui (Wooster, Nev.) Other Notable: Connor Moran (Solanco, Pa.) Commentary: For a first recruiting class as head coach, Matt Azevedo -- formerly a Cornell assistant -- has brought an excellent group of wrestlers into the fold. The class is anchored by a pair of two-time Junior National freestyle All-Americans in Cimato and Harrah, both of whom also finished as runners-up at the FloNationals held on the Drexel campus this April. Moran marks a third FloNationals runner-up in the Dragons recruiting haul. 22. Oregon State Top 100 Recruit: No. 67 Jack Hathaway (Iowa City West, Iowa) Impact Newcomer: Patrick Downey (North County, Md./USOTC) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestler: Mick Dougharity (Barlow, Ore.) Other Notables: Joey Delgado (Hermiston, Ore.), Joey Palmer (Tahoma, Wash.), and Jared Reis (Napoleon, N.D.) Commentary: It's an impressive group of wrestlers heading to Corvallis, which is anchored by 2011 NHSCA Senior National champion Downey; who was also a Junior National freestyle champion last summer and a FILA Junior freestyle champion last month. Delgado, Palmer, and Reis are multiple time state champions, who have competed and thrived in national competition; while Hathaway and Dougharity have done the same but have just a single state title each. 23. Old Dominion Top 100 Recruit: No. 55 Micah Barnes (Simley, Minn.) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Alexander Richardson (St. Peter's Prep, N.J.), Jack Dechow (Richmond Burton, Ill.), and Kevin Beazley (Detroit Catholic Central, Mich.) Other Notable: Joe Jessen (Millbrook, Va.) Commentary: Entering his ninth year as head coach, Steve Martin has done an excellent job of injecting quality into the Monarchs program, and that starts on the recruiting trail. Though this is the lowest rated recruiting class in the last four years, it still is an excellent group, as all five wrestlers won state championships this past year and have shown high levels of success in major tournaments. Despite seeing its four year string of producing an All-American end in 2012, Old Dominion did qualify a record seven wrestlers to the NCAA Division I tournament. 24. Virginia Tech Top 100 Recruit: No. 30 Huston Evans (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) Additional Weight Class Ranked Wrestlers: Salvatore Mastriani (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.) and Ty Walz (St. Edward, Ohio) Other Notables: Jake Balestieri (Franklin Regional, N.J.) and Dawson Peck (Chambersburg, Pa.) Commentary: Kevin Dresser is yet another former high school coach (like Steve Martin) who has done an excellent job of raising the bar since taking over the program. Though this is the lowest rated recruiting class in the last four years, it is still an excellent group headlined by Walsh Ironman champ Evans, a four-time state finalist (champion as a sophomore in 2010). Walz was a state champion this past year, and a Junior National freestyle All-American over the summer; while Mastriani, Balestieri, and Peck each earned All-American honors at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. 25. Ohio Top 100 Recruits: No. 26 Chaz Gresham (Goshen, Ohio) and No. 90 Joey Munos (South St. Paul, Minn.) Other Notables: Kevon Powell (Montini Catholic, Ill.), Kagan Squire (Wadsworth, Ohio), and T.J. Fox (Field, Ohio) Commentary: An impressive recruiting haul for the Bobcats gives them an appearance in the recruiting rankings for the first time in awhile, and should help them in their quest to crack the Central Michigan/Kent State duopoly that leads the MAC conference at present. The group is led by four-time state placer and two-time state champion/Super 32 third-place finisher Chaz Gresham. In all, it's a group of wrestlers that addresses needs across the lineup and has great potential.

Joe Russell took over as head coach at George Mason in July of 2011 after 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota. In his first season as head coach at George Mason, Russell led the Patriots to six more wins than the previous season, and sent two wrestlers to the NCAAs in St. Louis. InterMat caught up with Russell and talked to him about the season, his team, vision for the George Mason wrestling program, and much more. Joe RussellDid you attend the recent UFC event held at George Mason? Russell: I did. It's actually right across the street from my office, so it was pretty convenient. With Marcus LeVesseur getting a last-minute call to fight, he was able to get Tommy Owen and me tickets to go watch him. Are you a fan of MMA? Russell: No, I'm not a big fan. I'm happy the wrestlers are making good money. I like that. It's just a little rough for me. What was the biggest eye-opener for you going from Minnesota to George Mason? Russell: I would say kind of going from the haves to the have-nots. Things that I would get frustrated about at Minnesota I would give anything to have now. There was a little bigger budget, more options with scholarships, and more emphasis on the wrestling program. Here it's different in those regards. Do you still stay in touch with some of the coaches and wrestlers at Minnesota? Russell: Yeah. I was at Minnesota most of my life, so it's definitely home to me. I love those guys. I was happy to see their success this year and sad they came up short. But I definitely miss those guys a lot. You took over a team that was 0-21 in dual meets and won six dual meets in your first season. I know you have high expectations, but are you where you thought you would be after Year 1? Russell: In Year 1 I just wanted to understand the needs of the program and what we needed to do to move it forward. There were simple, obvious decisions. But for the most part I wanted to figure things out here and make sure we're headed in the right direction. Right now we have a long, long ways to go, but I definitely feel like we're making progress, just trying to change the attitude and culture a little bit of the guys on the team, and expectations of the program from people outside ... That stuff is going to take time, but I think it's important. My big thing is trying to build something that can stand the test of time. I'm thinking more long term with a lot of decisions, not trying to do the expedient thing, but trying to think what will help us build stability here. What are some of the obstacles you face with building the program at George Mason? Joe Russell (Photo/George Mason Sports Information)Russell: There are a lot of obstacles. Scholarships are obviously a big one. Budget for the program is another one. It's hard without the financial aspects. Little things. Needing a proper-sized wrestling room. Our wrestling is pretty small. We had 12 guys returning, but I had 18 new guys on the team because I wanted to build the numbers up. I thought that would be important. You have to run two practices when you have 30 guys on the team because the room is not big enough. Those little obstacles that you take for granted or don't think about when you come in. Also, just trying to get people to understand what it takes to be a successful Division I program, or what it takes to be a successful Division I wrestler. You had two NCAA qualifiers this past season. One of those NCAA qualifiers, Vince Rodriguez, has three more seasons of eligibility. What is he capable of accomplishing? Russell: Vince is really good. I was excited when I got here and saw him on the team. He was a national qualifier as a true freshman, which is never an easy thing to do. He was a guy who was sacrificing a lot as far as cutting a lot of weight to be a 125-pounder this past season. He's got a huge upside. He's a guy I'm definitely excited to have three more years with here. You mentioned that he was cutting a lot of weight. Do you expect that he will move up in weight? Russell: Yeah. He'll need to move up. He got to school and we were able to get him certified at 125 and then he kept growing. I was like, 'Well, sorry, Vince, you're going to have to make it to March.' You could see in some of his competitions that it was affecting him. We're trying to put some good size on him and see where he ends up. But he will definitely need to move up. It has been 17 years since George Mason had had an NCAA All-American. How important is it for your program to get wrestlers on the NCAA podium in March? Joe Russell (Photo/George Mason Sports Information)Russell: When you have an-American it gives you a lot of visibility and let's people know, 'Yeah, I can get the job done at George Mason.' When I was at Minnesota I would call somebody and they would know a lot about the program. When I first started recruiting here I'd call people and the first thing was, 'What division are you? And where are you located?' So it was kind of a different thing. I definitely want to be calling people and they know we're a Division I program in the CAA Conference. I think when you get an All-American that really helps you with your national notoriety. That's something we're definitely trying to change. When you have All-Americans in the room it gives guys a good model to follow. What's the wrestling culture like in Virginia? Russell: There are some great people in this Northern Virginia area that are fired up about wrestling and doing great things, and that's exciting to see. I've been to a bunch of schools that I hadn't been to before ... I had never been to the Naval Academy, and we wrestled there last year. Bloomsburg, I had never been on their campus. So things like that have been fun for me. But there are some really fired up high school coaches in Northern Virginia. Last fall you added Tommy Owen, one of your former wrestlers, to your staff. What has he brought to the program? Tommy OwenRussell: I knew that Tommy would be a really good fit for me just personality-wise and with his experiences. He's done a great job with the team. He has been leading our recruiting, and he's been leading a lot of training and practices. He grew up on a wrestling mat. His dad was the head coach at North Idaho when they won a lot of junior college national titles. He saw that you could be successful in a program with not a huge budget. They're fairly isolated out there and did great things ... and I think he had a great example in his father. I thought he would be a good fit for this type of program. Another CAA program, Binghamton, finished 14th at the NCAAs this past season, but then lost its head coach when Pat Popolizio resigned to accept a position at North Carolina State. Were you surprised that Popolozio left Binghamton? Russell: Well, I really don't know his situation out there, but it's pretty amazing what he had done. Pat was a godsend for me coming to the CAA Conference not knowing people. I had to call him a lot for simple things like 'How does this work in the CAA?' to bigger questions like 'With this type of program, what do you need to do?' He was a wealth of knowledge for me, and he was doing great things at Binghamton. So in that respect it's hard to see him leave. Without knowing, my assumption is that he saw increased odds for better success at North Carolina State ... I don't know if it was better resources or whatnot. It's good for wrestling that he's still in it and moving up. And then with Bighamton getting Dernlan, you know he's going to do a great job. I think Binghamton is in a good place. You are putting together a strong recruiting class that includes a mix of high school talent and college transfers ... Russell: Yeah, we want to be a place where people are attracted to looking at, whether it's coming out of high school or if they don't have a fit that works for them at the college they're at. We definitely want to be a program that attracts guys that want to get their degree and guys that want to put forth their best effort and have a great attitude. Those are the kind of guys we need. If we get them here, it will really help this program excel. So we're looking for any guys who fit that mold. One of your recruits is Matt Meadows, a nationally ranked 220-pounder. What do you like about him? Matt MeadowsRussell: Meeting with Matt and getting to know him a little bit, I was just really impressed with him as a person. He has a great family too. Watching him wrestle, you can see he moves real well and competes well. Calling around to get some background information on him, the only thing people told me was what a great kid he is. We were really excited that he has decided to join us. He has big goals and he's a hard worker. I think you put those two things together and you're going to have some good things that will happen. I know you're a strong proponent of freestyle wrestling. Will any of the George Mason wrestlers be competing at University Nationals in a couple weeks? Russell: Yeah, we'll be taking a bunch of guys to University Nationals. That's something we're trying to do more of here ... Letting them know what it takes to be successful at the Division I level, and that's training year-round and getting in competitions whenever you can. You'll be seeing George Mason wrestlers at USA Wrestling events in the spring and summer. I see that you're running a couple wrestling camps this summer. What are the Georg Mason wrestling camps all about? Russell: The big things we're trying to do with the camps is just let people know about George Mason and get people on campus and offer an opportunity for people to have a good camp experience, close to Washington D.C. and on a beautiful campus. So we're trying to get things started here. Hopefully it's something we do well and people benefit from. What's your vision for George Mason wrestling? Russell: The big thing is trying to think long term and what's going to make George Mason a stable program. It's a great school, a great area of the country to be in. I think there is something special that can be built here.