InterMat Staff

BUIES CREEK -- Taylor McGiffen (Alton, Ill.) has signed a national letter of intent to study and wrestle at Campbell University in the 2012-13 academic year. McGiffen carries a 3.1 GPA at Alton High School, where he has been a runner-up and third-place finisher in the Illinois state wrestling championships. "We are really excited that Taylor will be with us next season,” CU head wrestling coach Joe Boardwine said. “He's a great kid with a true passion for training and competing. He really wants to be great and he is willing to do what it takes to get there. The last two seasons he has really turned it up with his training and competing nationally and has had some excellent results.” McGiffen competed at 182, 189 and 215 pounds while in high school, and he projects to compete at either the 174 or 184-pound weight classes in college. He finished 47-2 at Alton High this past season, with his only losses coming to #2 nationally-ranked and University of Iowa signee Sammy Brooks. McGiffen was the eleventh-ranked wrestler at 182 pounds according to the InterMat rankings this past year. He has been a two-time NHSCA All-American, including a national runner-up finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals in 2011 at 189 pounds. “Taylor already has a college style of wrestling and a great framework that we can build upon in terms of technique and strength,” Boardwine added. “We think he could come in and be a factor right away - fighting for a starting position and then putting up points on the board for Campbell." McGiffen joins Eric Montoya in the 2012 Camel recruiting class. Campbell finished fourth during the team’s inaugural season in the Southern Conference in 2011-12 and placed five wrestlers on the all-freshman team. Recruiting: the Taylor McGiffen file Taylor McGiffen - 2x USA Wrestling Pre-Season National Champion - 2x NHSCA All-American, including a National Runner-Up finish at the NHSCA Junior Nationals in 2011 at 189 lbs. (Losing in the finals to Nebraska signee, Tim Dudley.) - All-American at USA Wrestling Cadet National Freestyle Championships; placing 5th. - Ranked #11 in the nation according to Intermat at 182 lbs. - Alton H.S., Illinois - competed at the 215, 189 and 182 lb. weight classes in high school - 3.1 GPA - major at Campbell: undeclared - State Runner-Up in Illinois and also 3rd place at State - 47-2 on the season in 2011-12 with his only losses coming to Nationally #2 ranked, Sammy Brooks (University of Iowa signee) - Chose Campbell over Cal Poly and others

The Citadel held its first-ever Athletics Awards Banquet at the Holliday Alumni Center on Monday with wrestler Odie Delaney and soccer player Vanessa Aponte taking top honors as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year. An MVP and Academic award was also presented to athletes on each of The Citadel's 14 varsity teams. Delaney capped off a 2011-12 season with his third trip to the NCAA Wrestling Championships and came within one match of earning All-America honors. Delaney was the top seed in the heavyweight division at the 2012 Southern Conference Championships and was rarely challenged in his two matches, pinning Joe Nolan of Campbell in 44 seconds in the semifinals and posting a 9-0 major decision over No. 2 Kevin Malone of Chattanooga in the finals to win his third conference title in as many opportunities. The Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., native carried over that momentum to gain a pair of victories on day one of the NCAA Championships, defeating opponents from Maryland and Michigan State. The following day, Delaney lost to a pair of seeded opponents, including the nation's No. 1 seed from American University. Delaney finished the season with a remarkable 29-4 record, including 14 wins by fall, and was a perfect 15-0 in dual meets. In addition to his successes at the SoCon and NCAA Championships, he captured crowns at the All-Academy Championships and the Davidson Open. In only two seasons at The Citadel, Aponte has made her mark on the school's record book, currently ranking sixth all-time with 13 goals and third with eight assists. Last season she set school records with 83 shots and 43 shots on goal and led the Bulldogs with eight goals and 19 points. Aponte led the Southern Conference in shots while also ranking fourth in goals and fifth in points. The Orlando, Fla., native had two contests where she posted two goals, including the season finale against crosstown rival College of Charleston to lead The Citadel to a 3-2 victory, the program's first-ever victory over the Cougars. Twice during the 2011 season Aponte was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week and was also selected the ninth-best player in the conference according to topdrawersoccer.com's watch list. MVPs and Academic Award Winners by Sport

Iowa Western landed three-time state champion Tyler Nation Iowa Western Wrestling added the second main part to their 2012 incoming class in Scottsbluff's Tyler Nation. Nation, the Bearcat's first ever three-time Nebraska state champion, carries an impressive career record of 155-12, a school record, and shares the single-season win record with 46. Also active in the offseason, Nation has claimed titles at the Big Horn National and Monster Match National tournaments. "Iowa Western has an outstanding program," Nation said. "They can help ease me on to a a Division I program." Reivers coach Josh Watts was on hand for the signing. He is excited to have Scottsbluff's only three-time state champ on board. "Tyler brings a great work ethic with him," Watts said. "He needs to finish his matches stronger. We will work on that, but he has all of the tools to be a good Division I wrestler." The son of Thomas Nation and Gerry Nation will wrestle at 141 pounds for the Reivers next season and joins South Sioux's two-time state champion Derek Geddings in the incoming class. Geddings becomes first addition to 2012 incoming class The Iowa Western Reivers and head coach Josh Watts received their first addition to the 2012 incoming class this week. Two-time Nebraska state champion, Derek Geddings (South Sioux City, Neb.) pledged to the Reivers after compiling an impressive 129-13 high school record. After a third-place finish in 2010, Geddings brought home titles in 2011 and 2012. Not being satisfied with just state titles, Geddings has continued adding to his resume by winning the Rocky Mountain Nationals in Denver, CO and placing third at the USA Junior National Folkstyle Tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa. In his career Geddings set school records for the most team points, most tech falls, most pins in a season, and at one point was ranked 25th in the nation by USA Wrestling. Geddings looks to wrestle 184 or 197 for the Reivers.

Related Content: Rankings|All-Americans T-Shirt Most of the 2011-12 scholastic wrestling season came to an end the first weekend of April with the NHSCA grade level nationals, USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals, and the FloNationals. Those events came after a long scholastic season that started with preseason tournaments such as the Super 32 Challenge, through early in-season tournaments like the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East, then into the rest of the regular season, and through the state tournament series across America. The last two weekends had interesting opportunities for as well with the FILA Junior Nationals and Wrestling USA Magazine Dream Team Classic. Therefore, it is now time to reflect upon the season that was and recognize the best of the best. The Top 20 wrestlers in each weight class represent the 2011-12 InterMat High School All-Americans. Below is a look at the First Team selection, as well as the other All-Americans in each weight. 2012 Wrestler of the Year: Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.), Senior, 145 Jason Tsirtsis has been named 2012 InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat.com)Despite losing a pair of matches during his freshman year, which was two more than his older brother Alex lost during his whole high school career, the Northwestern-bound wrestler has been more than dominant in the last calendar year and throughout four high school seasons. In his two postseason all-star matches, Tsirtsis earned a 13-4 major decision over a Pennsylvania state champion at the Dapper Dan and a 22-8 major decision over an Iowa state champion who is ranked second nationally in the Dream Team Classic. Tsirtsis, a four-time state champion, went 42-0 in each of his last three high school seasons to accumulate a four year record of 176-2. Among the many high profile accomplishments on Tsirtsis' resume are a 2011 Junior National freestyle championship, a pair of FloNationals titles, a pair of FILA Cadet freestyle titles, two runner-up finishes at the Super 32 Challenge, three All-American finishes at the FILA Junior Nationals, and three additional All-American finishes in Fargo (third in the 2010 Junior freestyle tournament, second and fourth place finishes in Cadet freestyle). Other All-Americans at 145: 2. Gabriel Moreno, Urbandale, Iowa 3. Mark Hall, Apple Valley, Minn. 4. Jake Short, Simley, Minn. 5. Mitch Minotti, Easton, Pa. 6. Bryce Brill, Mt. Carmel, Ill. 7. Jimmy Kloc, Iriquois, N.Y. 8. Rylan Lubeck, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. 9. Dylan Milonas, Blair Academy, N.J. 10. Anthony Collica, Solon, Ohio 11. Blake Kastl, Graham, Ohio 12. Jake Faust, Lexington, Ohio 13. Jack Clark, McDonogh, Md. 14. Alexander Richardson, St. Peter's Prep, N.J. 15. Garrett Hammond, Chambersburg, Pa. 16. Willie Fox, Gilroy, Calif. 17. Greg Hegarty, Blue Springs, Mo. 18. Kevin Moylan, Stagg, Ill. 19. Kaleb Baker, Christian Brothers, Tenn. 20. Bo Nickal, Allen, Texas 106 First Team: Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.), Freshman The nation's top freshman finished his initial high school season undefeated with in-season titles at the Ironman, Doc Buchanan and California state tournament. Valencia also won the NUWAY Southwest Kickoff Classic prior to the start of the season up at 113 pounds, and was a FloNationals champion earlier in April at 106 pounds. Other All-Americans at 106: 2. Darian Cruz, Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 3. Johnson Mai, North Torrance, Calif. 4. Stevan Micic, Hanover Central, Ind. 5. Nathan Boston, Lawrence North, Ind. 6. Ethan Lizak, Parkland, Pa. 7. Michael Kemerer, Franklin Regional, Pa. 8. Matthew Kolodzik, Miami Valley School, Ohio 9. Doug Miner, Spirit Lake Park, Iowa 10. Brent Fleetwood, Smyrna, Del. 11. Vincenzo Joseph, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. 12. Markus Simmons, Broken Arrow, Okla. 13. Coy Ozias, Christiansburg, Va. 14. Sean Russell, Collins Hill, Ga. 15. Dylan Lucas, Brandon, Fla. 16. Davion Jeffries, Collinsville, Okla. 17. Dominic Forys, North Allegheny, Pa. 18. David Bavery, Massillon Perry, Ohio 19. Joseph Velliquette, Nixa, Mo. 20. Sean Cannon, Green Valley, Nev. 113 First Team: Jarred Brooks (Warsaw, Ind.), Senior This senior set a strong tone for his senior season with a Super 32 Challenge championship, including a finals victory over Nathan Tomasello (CVCA, Ohio). That result avenged a three-period loss in the championship match of the Junior National freestyle tournament from late July. Then, Brooks capped off an undefeated 35-0 season with a state title and victory in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. For his career, it was a record of 139-5 with state placements of fifth, second, and first. Other All-Americans at 113: 2. Nathan Tomasello, CVCA, Ohio 3. Ryan Diehl, Trinity, Pa. 4. Isaiah Locsin, Live Oak, Calif. 5. Ronnie Bresser, Henley, Ore. 6. Tommy Thorn, St. Michael-Albertville, Minn. 7. Jason Nolf, Kittaning, Pa. 8. J.R. Wert, Christiansburg, Va. 9. Johnny Jimenez, Marmion Academy, Ill. 10. Barlow McGhee, Rock Island, Ill. 11. Billy Rappo, Council Rock South, Pa. 12. Cassidy Oshiro, Maryknoll, Hawaii 13. Zac Hall, St. Johns, Mich. 14. Jens Lantz, Ellsworth, Wis. 15. Jordan Northrup, Machesney Park Harlem, Ill. 16. Jonas Gayton, Clovis, Calif. 17. Micah Perez, Central Union, Calif. 18. Phillip Laux, Iowa City West, Iowa 19. Mark Duda, Marist, Ill. 20. Fredy Stroker, Bettendorf, Iowa 120 First Team: George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio), Senior During December, the University of Virginia bound DiCamillo set the tone for a virtuoso senior season, as he earned his third Walsh Ironman championship and fourth title at the Brecksville Holiday Invitational Tournament. Going the whole season without a loss, he earned a second consecutive undefeated season and state championship to finish his career on a 74 match winning streak, and a three-year strong of 111 wins in 112 matches. For his career, it was a record of 151-7 with placements of seventh, third, first, and first. Additionally, DiCamillo earned victories over nationally ranked three-time state champions from Pennsylvania and Iowa in the Dapper Dan and Dream Team all-star events. Other All-Americans at 120: 2. Nick Roberts, North Star, Pa. 3. Ryan Taylor, St. Paris Graham, Ohio 4. Tim Lambert, Forest Hills Eastern, Mich. 5. Jered Cortez, Glenbard North, Ill. 6. Dylan Peters, Denver Tripoli, Iowa 7. Dalton Brady, Chandler, Ariz. 8. Joey McKenna, Blair Academy, N.J. 9. Paul Petrov, Hanover Central, Ind. 10. Mason Todd, Pendleton Heights, Ind. 11. Godwin Nyama, Brashear, Pa. 12. Brendan Campbell, New Castle, Ind. 13. Connor Schram, Canon McMillan, Pa. 14. Matt Garelli, Oak Park Fenwick, Ill. 15. Zeke Moisey, Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 16. Will Mason, Cape Henry Collegiate, Va. 17. Daniel Gayton, Clovis, Calif. 18. Brad Perkins, Oak Park, Mo. 19. Hermilio Esquivel, Orland, Calif. 20. Nick Herrmann, Amarillo Tascola, Texas 126 First Team: Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.), Senior Entering high school, greatness was a clear expectation for Gulibon, as he entered with five PJW state championships. In high school, he would have a career unmatched by most, as he was both a four-time Pennsylvania state champion and POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament champion. The Penn State bound wrestler ended high school with a 136-4 record, and also earned a pair of wins over a four-time Iowa state champion in the postseason all-star events. Other All-Americans at 126: 2. Dean Heil, St. Edward, Ohio 3. Rossi Bruno, Brandon, Fla. 4. Anthony Ashnault, South Plainfield, N.J. 5. Brandon Jeske, Cox, Va. 6. Cory Clark, Southeast Polk, Iowa 7. Joey Dance, Christiansburg, Va. 8. Dominick Malone, Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 9. Eddie Klimara, Providence Catholic, Ill. 10. Nathan Kraisser, Centennial, Md. 11. Sam Brancale, Eden Prairie, Minn. 12. Mitch Bengtson, St. Cloud Apollo, Minn. 13. Hunter Weber, Marshall, Wis. 14. Jack Hathaway, Iowa City West, Iowa 15. Kyle Ayersman, Lake Central, Ind. 16. Kyle Garcia, Choctaw, Okla. 17. Max Hvolbeck, Blair Academy, N.J. 18. Micah Jordan, St. Paris Graham, Ohio 19. Corey Keener, Blue Mountain, Pa. 20. Eric Devos, Waverly Shell-Rock, Iowa 132 First Team: Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.), Senior Headed to Cornell, this wrestler ended his high school career as a four-time National Prep champion and the first ever competitor to win four titles at the prestigious Beast of the East. With a career record of 140-7, Grey did not lose a single match outside of the Walsh Ironman, where he was a four-time placer and two-time runner-up. Last summer, he was fifth at the FILA Junior World Championships at 121 pounds, and this past weekend won a FILA Junior National freestyle title at 132 pounds. Other All-Americans at 132: 2. Alex Cisneros, Selma, Calif. 3. Thomas Gilman, Skutt Catholic, Neb. 4. Kevin Norstrem, Brandon, Fla. 5. Zane Richards, Carbondale, Ill. 6. Joey Ward, Moeller, Ohio 7. Edgar Bright, St. Edward, Ohio 8. Randy Cruz, Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 9. Ben Morgan, Forest Lake, Minn. 10. Brandon Sorensen, Denver Tripoli, Iowa 11. Jared McKinley, Perry Meridian, Ind. 12. Dylan Durso, Reynolds, Pa. 13. Dakota Trom, Apple Valley, Minn. 14. Joey Munos, South St. Paul, Minn. 15. Nikko Villarreal, Gilroy, Calif. 16. Dakota Bauer, Iowa City West, Iowa 17. Brent Fickel, Padua, Ohio 18. Neal Molloy, Danville, Ind. 19. Kyle Larson, West Des Moines Valley, Iowa 20. Jamel Hudson, St. Anthony's, N.Y. 138 First Team: Ben Whitford (St. Johns, Mich.), Junior It has been a dominant "cycle" for this Class of 2013 prospect, as he was a double champion at the Junior Nationals in Fargo this past summer, earned bonus points in all seven matches on the way to a Super 32 Challenge title this fall (included five pins), and was undefeated with a 42-0 record this season. When added to his two state titles won at Marmion Academy in Illinois, the junior Whitford -- who has already verbally committed to the University of Michigan -- is already a three-time state champion with a prep record of 127-1. Other All-Americans at 138: 2. John Meeks, Des Moines Roosevelt, Iowa 3. Nate Skonieczny, Walsh Jesuit, Ohio 4. Quentin Murphy, Holley Central, N.Y. 5. Steve Spearman, Erie McDowell, Pa. 6. Solomon Chishko, Canon McMillan, Pa. 7. Matt Cimato, LaSalle, Pa. 8. Todd Preston, Blair Academy, N.J. 9. Bryant Clagon, Toms River South, N.J. 10. Mikey Racciato, Pen Argyl, Pa. 11. Austin Matthews, Reynolds, Pa. 12. Chase Ferman, Broken Arrow, Okla. 13. Tony DeAngelo, Southern Alamance, N.C. 14. Devon Jackson, Yorktown, Ind. 15. Luke Zeiger, Glasgow, Mont. 16. Brian Sergi, College Park, Calif. 17. Alfred Bannister, Bishop McNamara, Md. 18. Natrelle Demison, Bakersfield, Calif. 19. Mitch Newhouse, Massillon Perry, Ohio 20. Jack Bass, Allen, Texas 152 First Team: Bo Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio), Junior The junior Jordan already has three state titles, and has been dominant throughout his career with a 133-1 record. His only career loss came in mid-January of his freshman year and was avenged in the state semifinals. In addition, Bo is a two-time Walsh Ironman champion and has won more than 100 consecutive matches. Other All-Americans at 152: 2. Isaiah Martinez, Lemoore, Calif. 3. Max Schneider, Chicago Lane Tech, Ill. 4. Brian Murphy, Glenbard North, Ill. 5. Brian Realbuto, Somers, N.Y. 6. Oliver Pierce, Allen, Texas 7. Dylan Palacio, Long Beach, N.Y. 8. Zach Witte, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Iowa 9. Zack Dailey, Massillon Perry, Ohio 10. Josh Llopez, La Plata, Md. 11. Nick Wanzek, Simley, Minn. 12. Nick Becker, Hartford, Wis. 13. Salvatore Mastriani, Don Bosco Prep, N.J. 14. Austin Trott, Camden County, Ga. 15. Jake Elliott, Oakmont, Calif. 16. Keilan Torres, Altus, Okla. 17. Andrew Morse, Lowell, Mich. 18. Russ Parsons, Blair Academy, N.J. 19. Coleman Hammond, Bakersfield, Calif. 20. Samson Imonode, Horizon, Ariz. 160 First Team: Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.), Sophomore Entering high school with much hype, having already been a quarterfinalist at the Super 32 Challenge high school division and winning match(es) at the Nittany Lion Open prior, the young Marsteller has more than turned that into substantive achievement during his first two years of high school. How does two state titles, an 85-0 record, and winning a 17-7 match this year in the state final against fellow defending state champion Brian Brill (Central Mountain, Pa.) sound? Better yet -- two POWERade Christmas Wrestling Tournament titles, a Super 32 Challenge title, and 33 matches this past summer at the Cadet Nationals and Cadet Duals in which he gave up scoring in one period show dominance. Other All-Americans at 160: 2. Joey Davis, Santa Fe, Calif. 3. Isaac Jordan, Graham, Ohio 4. Clark Glass, Brandon, Fla. 5. Brian Brill, Central Mountain, Pa. 6. Zach Epperly, Christiansburg, Va. 7. Brandon Kingsley, Apple Valley, Minn. 8. Victor Pereira, Newark Memorial, Calif. 9. Dylan Reel, Washington, Ill. 10. James Wilson, McNair, Calif. 11. Brett Harner, Norristown, Pa. 12. Jacob Crawford, Millbrook, Va. 13. Shaun'Qae McMurtry, Lockport, Ill. 14. Johnny Sebastian, Bergen Catholic, N.J. 15. Justin Koethe, Iowa City West, Iowa 16. Chandler Rogers, Mead, Wash. 17. Zeb Wahle, Lewis Central, Iowa 18. Cody Allala, Hopewell, Va. 19. Keegan Gennrich, Hortonville, Wis. 20. Elijah Hull, Lewis County, West Va. 170 First Team: Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich.), Senior The University of Michigan bound grappler ended finished high school as an undefeated four-time state champion with a career record of 223-0. Right before the start of the season, Massa earned an elusive Super 32 Challenge title after twice placing second and third each the prior four years. During the two April's before this one, he was a FILA Junior National freestyle champion, and was a member of the FILA Junior World Team at 74 kilos (163 pounds) this past summer. Other All-Americans at 170: 2. Cody Wiercioch, Canon McMillan, Pa. 3. Kyle Crutchmer, Tulsa Union, Okla. 4. Geordan Speiller, Pine Castle Christian, Fla. 5. Mark Martin, St. Edward, Ohio 6. Zac Brunson, Churchill, Ore. 7. Eric Morris, Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 8. Alex Meyer, Southeast Polk, Iowa 9. Cooper Moore, Jackson County Central, Minn. 10. Micah Barnes, Simley, Minn. 11. Matt Reed, Wichita Heights, Kan. 12. Zach Nevills, Clovis, Calif. 13. Elliott Riddick, Bethlehem Catholic, Pa. 14. Zach Beard, Tuttle, Okla. 15. Silas Nacita, Bakersfield, Calif. 16. Kyle Begin, Anoka, Minn. 17. Tyler Askey, Northgate, Ga. 18. Vince Pickett, Grove City Central Crossing, Ohio 19. Jacob Taylor, Bald Eagle Area, Pa. 20. Steven Elicegui, Wooster, Nev. 182 First Team: Jordan Rogers (Mead, Wash.), Senior Short of injury prior to the state tournament his sophomore year, very little kept Rogers from his goals while competing in Washington State. This three-time state champion is headed to Oklahoma State University with a career record of 152-6. In the last two calendar years, Rogers has won three FILA Cadet National titles (two freestyle, one Greco-Roman), traveled twice to represent the United States in international competitions, was a Cadet National double champion in 2010, and a Junior National double All-American in 2011 (third Greco-Roman and second freestyle). He also earned dominant victories in both of his all-star matches against nationally ranked opposition, pinning a Pennsylvania state champ in the Dapper Dan and earning a major decision against one from Iowa in the Dream Team Classic. Other All-Americans at 182: 2. Sam Brooks, Oak Park River Forest, Ill. 3. Brandon Griffin, Sprague, Ore. 4. Nikko Reyes, Clovis West, Calif. 5. Chaz Gresham, Goshen, Ohio 6. Jordan Thomas, Greenville, Mich. 7. Huston Evans, Graham, Ohio 8. Domenic Abounader, St. Edward, Ohio 9. Roland Dunlap, Muskego, Wis. 10. Anthony Lock, Pioneer, N.Y. 11. Nolan Boyd, Deer Creek, Okla. 12. Jack Dechow, Richmond Burton, Ill. 13. Taylor McGiffen, Alton, Ill. 14. Jared Bartel, Mason City, Iowa 15. Wes Phipps, Grove City, Pa. 16. David Reck, Colonial Forge, Va. 17. Kevin Beazley, Detroit Catholic Central, Mich. 18. Preston Lehmann, West Fargo, N.D. 19. Matt McCutcheon, Kiski Area, Pa. 20. Reece Wright-Conklin, Lawrence, Kan. 195 First Team: Devin Peterson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Senior Arguably the most proficient three-style wrestler in the Class of 2012, the Wisconsin-bound Peterson has earned All-American honors in all eight of his Fargo appearances, including titles in five of the last six tournaments. This was capped by an excellent Olympic style 2011, which included a Junior National double title at 189 pounds and a FILA Junior National Greco-Roman championship at 84 kilograms (185 pounds). His scholastic career record was 188-11, which included wins in 93 of his last 94 contested matches (two additional losses by injury default occurred in that time); as well as state placements of second, second, sixth, and first. Other All-Americans at 195: 2. Tim Dudley, Irmo, S.C. 3. Ben Stroh, Chinook, Mont. 4. Brad Johnson, Lockport, Ill. 5. Gage Harrah, Crystal Lake Central, Ill. 6. Ross Larson, Ankeney, Iowa 7. Perry Hills, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Pa. 8. Gabe Dean, Lowell, Mich. 9. Mitch Sliga, Fishers, Ind. 10. Ryan Solomon, Milton, Pa. 11. Robert Marchese, Oak Hills, Calif. 12. Austin Severn, New Lothrop, Mich. 13. Frank Mattiace, Blair Academy, N.J. 14. Hashem Omari, Oak Park, Mo. 15. Caleb Cotter, Sapulpa, Okla. 16. Broc Berge, Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. 17. Andrew Dixon, Edmond North, Okla. 18. Dylan Devine, DeMatha, Md. 19. Garrett Linton, Rootstown, Ohio 20. Shawn Scott, Holly, Mich. 220 First Team: Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.), Sophomore The sophomore sensation Snyder joins Marsteller as being undefeated in two years of high school competition. This includes a pair of National Prep championships, a pair of Beast of the East titles, and singular titles at Mount Mat Madness as a freshman and the Walsh Ironman during this sophomore campaign. Last summer, Snyder was a double finalist in Fargo, winning the Cadet National freestyle championship; and in the last month has added a FloNationals title and third place finish in freestyle at the FILA Junior Nationals to his resume. Other All-Americans at 220: 2. Willie Miklus, Southeast Polk, Iowa 3. John Rizzo, Richland, Pa. 4. Josh Marchok, Schaumburg, Ill. 5. Jordan Gruettner, Muskego, Wis. 6. J'Den Cox, Hickman, Mo. 7. A.J. Vizcarrondo, Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 8. Thomas Haines, Solanco, Pa. 9. Matt Meadows, CVCA, Ohio 10. Prescott Line, Oxford, Mich. 11. Andy Janovich, Gretna, Neb. 12. Ty Walz, St. Edward, Ohio 13. Mike Swider, Wheaton North, Ill. 14. Eric Laytos, Lackawanna Trail, Pa. 15. Spencer Empey, Reed, Nev. 16. Mick Dougharity, Barlow, Ore. 17. JT Goodwin, Bear Creek, Calif. 18. Nathan Butler, Leavenworth, Kan. 19. Austin Lobsinger, West Valley, Calif. 20. Logan Byrd, Sallisaw, Okla. 285 First Team: Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), Junior After finishing as a runner-up at the National Prep Championships as a freshman, Black has just a single loss in the last two scholastic seasons, which includes a pair of titles at both the Walsh Ironman and Beast of the East and approximately ten wins over nationally ranked opponents. After winning three titles at the Cadet Nationals (two in Greco-Roman and one in freestyle), last summer Black was a Junior National freestyle All-American. The Blair Academy junior also has three titles at the FILA Cadet Nationals from the two previous spring seasons (two in freestyle, one in Greco-Roman). Other All-Americans at 285: 2. Adam Coon, Fowlerville, Mich. 3. Michael Kroells, Scott West, Minn. 4. Austin Goergen, Caledonia, Minn. 5. John Dreggors, Springstead, Fla. 6. Johnny Schupp, Vacaville, Calif. 7. Mimmo Lytle, Swanton, Ohio 8. Nick Nevills, Clovis, Calif. 9. Dink Purnell, A.I. DuPont, Del. 10. Nick Tavanello, Wadsworth, Ohio 11. Sam Stoll, Kasson-Mantorville, Minn. 12. Collin Bevins, Creston, Iowa 13. Michael Johnson, Wyoming Seminary, Pa. 14. Nate Shaw, Bettendorf, Iowa 15. Michael Shoff, Cambridge, Neb. 16. Nick Gajdzik, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, Mich. 17. Avree Robinson, Susquehanna Township, Pa. 18. Travis Morgan, Stillwater, Okla. 19. Gaylen Edmo, Highland, Idaho 20. Cody Klempay, Canon-McMillan, Pa. Get your limited edition InterMat High School All-Americans T-shirt! Limited edition InterMat High School All-Americans T-shirts available. The T-shirt features the 2012 InterMat High School All-American logo on the front, and the InterMat High School All-Americans (Top 20 wrestlers in each weight class) on the back. Get your InterMat High School All-American T-shirts today! $15.00 (Shipping not included) White Short Sleeve T-Shirt 50% Cotton/50% Polyester Available Sizes: Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult X-Large, Adult XX-Large

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Related Content: Results|Sunday Recap|Sunday interviews|Saturday Recap|Saturday Interviews 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in men's freestyle (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Jared Frayer was battling more than his opponent Brent Metcalf on Sunday night in the finals of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa. He was also battling a loud, pro-Metcalf crowd in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The 33-year-old Frayer defeated Metcalf in two intense, hard-fought matches to make the U.S. Olympic Team at 66 kilos in men's freestyle. Jared Frayer (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Frayer, who coached at Iowa during the 2008-09 season, heard all the fans rooting against him ... and loved it. "I know these fans," said Frayer, who wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma and now serves as an assistant coach for the Sooners. "They know me. I love it. You've got to get amped up for it. You don't see this. You may see it in Iran or Russia, but in the United States it's just awesome." Metcalf, a 2010 U.S. World Team member, was distraught in defeat, but appreciative of the fan support. "I appreciate all the support of all the fans that came out," said Metcalf. "I hope that they continue to support freestyle wrestling, and I hope that our club can start bringing home more gold." Frayer, a Florida native, had never previously made a U.S. World or Olympic team, but had been knocking on the door for many years. He was runner-up at the Trials 2006, 2007, and 2009. "I learned a lot from it," Frayer said of coming up short three times. "There are some studs out there. I didn't lay it on the line as much ... and I don't think I prepared the right way. This year I'm older, wiser, and did things right. I listened to my body. I think it was just experience." Frayer was not the only former Sooner wrestler to make the U.S. Olympic Team in men's freestyle on Sunday night. Sam Hazewinkel, a four-time All-American at Oklahoma (2004-2007), punched his ticket to London with a victory over longtime rival Nick Simmons at 55 kilos. Hazewinkel, like Frayer, has come up just short numerous times in major events throughout his career. As a college competitor, Hazewinkel reached the NCAA semifinals four times, but never won an NCAA title. He was runner-up at the Trials in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011. "It's been a long battle ... It really has," said Hazewinkel, whose father and uncle were U.S. Olympians in Greco-Roman. "It says something about perseverance and keeping your head up, and staying positive. I'll tell you ... the last few years it got hard. It really did. You get that many seconds and it becomes its own battle just thinking you can take first. We worked real hard on mental game this year and just getting over that hump, and I believe it paid off." Jake Herbert, a 2009 World silver medalist, earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team at 84 kilos with a victory in the finals over Travis Paulson. Paulson took the opening match in their best-of-three series, but Herbert came back to win the final two matches and outscore Paulson 12-5 in those two matches. "It hasn't really hit me yet," Herbert said moments after defeating Paulson. "Being an Olympian is amazing, but I just can't wait to get back to my family and hang out with them tonight. It's been a big sacrifice. The ups and downs have been crazy this year. I've been hurt. I've been injured. I've been emotionally hurt and physically hurt, and to be able to come through and come back and dig deep and get this is huge." Another past World medalist, Tervel Dlagnev, made the U.S. Olympic in men's freestyle, coming through a deep weight class to claim the title at 120 kilos. Dlagnev, a 2009 World bronze medalist, defeated 2010 U.S. World Team member Les Sigman in the finals. The two wrestlers were college rivals while wrestling at Division II schools in Nebraska schools, and the rivalry has continued on the senior level. "I think I just tied it up in freestyle," said Dlagnev when asked where the series stands with Sigman. "I don't think I can catch him if we count college. He beat me a bunch. In freestyle I think I just tied it. A lot of history." So what does making the U.S. Olympic team mean to the Bulgarian-born Dlagnev? "Well, it means everything that I've been doing in my wrestling career up to this point is the right thing," said Dlagnev. "Man, I'm just too excited." Coleman, Provisor, Johnson win titles in Greco-Roman 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in Greco-Roman (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) In the Greco-Roman competition, three former Northern Michigan wrestlers, Ellis Coleman (60 kilos), Ben Provisor (74 kilos), and R.C. Johnson (96 kilos), won Trials titles on Sunday. All three now live and train in Colorado Springs. Coleman, a two-time Junior World bronze medalist, defeated two-time U.S. World Team member Joe Betterman. Coleman, who is best known his flying squirrel move that has made him an Internet sensation, won the first match in two straight periods, 1-0, 2-0. He closed out the victory with a three-period win, 0-2, 5-0, 1-0. "I'm just grateful," said Coleman. "I've got to give it all to the man above. Without God there is nothing. I'm grateful the opportunity is there for me. He gave me everything here. He gave me the strength. He gave me the power. And then I've got all my fans and my family, everybody here with me. I'm just grateful ... I'm just real grateful." Provisor, a runner-up at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials, edged veteran Aaron Sieracki in the finals at 74 kilos. Sieracki, a 2012 U.S. Open champion, took the opening match in the best-of-three series, but Provisor battled back to win the final two matches and make his first U.S. Olympic Team at the age of 21. Johnson, a 2009 U.S. World Team member, won the title at 96 kilos with a two matches to zero victory over his Sunkist Kids training partner Pete Gounaridis. The U.S. has not qualified the weight class for the Olympic Games, so Johnson's Trials title does not place him on the U.S. Olympic Team. Justin Ruiz, who sat out the Trials, will wrestle in an Olympic qualifying event in China next weekend. If Ruiz qualifies the weight class for the Olympic Games, Ruiz and Johnson will have a wrestle-off to determine the spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. "It's do or die," said Johnson. "Trials time comes every year. If you win Trials, you go on. If not, you can't. Whether now it's going to a wrestle-off or try to qualify the weight, whatever happens. Now I have the opportunity do that. If I wouldn't have won the season is over." Chun, Pirozhkova round out women's team 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials champions in women's freestyle (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) Clarissa Chun (48 kilos) and Elena Pirozhkova (63 kilos) claimed titles on Sunday. The two join Saturday champions Kelsey Campbell (55 kilos) and Stephany Lee (72 kilos) on the U.S. Olympic Team in women's freestyle. Chun, a 2008 World champion, was pushed in the finals by Alyssa Lampe, but prevailed in three matches to make her second U.S. Olympic Team. "I almost gave myself and my coaches a heart attack," said Chun, who becomes the first two-time U.S. Olympian in women's freestyle wrestling. Pirozhkova, who was born in Russia and raised in Massachusetts, handled 2011 World bronze medalist Adeline Gray in the finals. Pirozhkova, a 2010 World silver medalist, won two matches to zero and outscored Gray 9-1. "It wasn't my best match," Pirozhkova said of her win over Gray. "It was a lot of hand fighting. I did what I had to do, but I think I'm capable of a lot more." The attendance for Sunday night's Session IV was 13,712. The total attendance for the two-day event held in Carver-Hawkeye Arena was 54,766, which set an Olympic Team Trials record. Men's Freestyle 55 kilos: Nick Simmons (Sunkist Kids) def. Sam Hazewinkel (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 1 Simmons dec. Hazewinkel, 2-0, 0-5, 5-4 Hazewinkel dec. Simmons, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0 Hazewinkel dec. Simmons, 0-1, 4-0, 3-0 66 kilos: Jared Frayer (Gator WC) def. Brent Metcalf (New York AC), 2 matches to Frayer dec. Metcalf, 5-1, 0-4, 6-0 Frayer dec. Metcalf, 2-1, 0-1, 2-2 84 kilos: Jake Herbert (New York AC) def. Travis Paulson (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 1 Paulson dec. Herbert, 0-1, 2-1, 1-1 Herbert dec. Paulson, 4-2, 3-2 Herbert dec. Paulson, 3-0, 2-1 120 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev (Sunkist Kids) def. Les Sigman (Nittany Lion WC), 2 matches to 0 Dlagnev dec. Sigman, 3-0, 4-0 Dlagnev dec. Sigman, 1-0, 2-0 Greco-Roman 60 kilos: Ellis Coleman (New York AC) def. Joe Betterman (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 0 Coleman dec. Betterman, 1-0, 2-0 Coleman dec. Betterman, 0-2, 5-0, 1-0 74 kilos: Ben Provisor (Sunkist Kids) def. Aaron Sieracki (U.S. Army), 2 matches to 1 Sieracki dec. Provisor, 1-0, 0-1, 2-0 Provisor dec. Sieracki, 2-0, 1-0 Provisor dec. Sieracki, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 96 kilos: R.C. Johnson (Sunkist Kids) def. Pete Gounaridis (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 0 Johnson dec. Gounaridis, 1-0, 0-1, 1-0 Johnson dec. Gounaridis, 0-1, 1-0, 1-0 Women's Freestyle 48 kilos: Clarissa Chun (Sunkist Kids) def. Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 1 Chun dec. Lampe, 0-2, 1-0, 3-1 Lampe dec. Chun, 0-7, 2-2, 5-2 Chun dec. Lampe, 2-0, 2-2, 4-1 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova (Gator WC) def. Adeline Gray (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Pirozhkova dec. Gray, 1-0, 4-0 Pirozhkova dec. Gray, 1-0, 4-0

Related Content: Results|Sunday Recap|Sunday interviews|Saturday Recap|Saturday Interviews Men's Freestyle 55 kilos: Sam Hazewinkel 66 kilos: Jared Frayer 84 kilos: Jake Herbert 120 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev Greco-Roman 60 kilos: Ellis Coleman 74 kilos: Ben Provisor 96 kilos: R.C. Johnson Women's Freestyle 48 kilos: Clarissa Chun 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Sunday's best-of-three finals are set at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials after Session III at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The attendance for the third session was 13,784 Tonight's Session IV is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT. Finals Matchups Men's Freestyle 55 kilos: Nick Simmons (Sunkist Kids) vs. Sam Hazewinkel (Sunkist Kids) 66 kilos: Jared Frayer (Gator WC) vs. Brent Metcalf (New York AC) 84 kilos: Jake Herbert (New York AC) vs. Travis Paulson (Sunkist Kids) 120 kilos: Tervel Dlagnev (Sunkist Kids) vs. Les Sigman (Nittany Lion WC) Greco-Roman 60 kilos: Joe Betterman (Sunkist Kids) vs. Ellis Coleman (New York AC) 74 kilos: Aaron Sieracki (U.S. Army) vs. Ben Provisor (Sunkist Kids) 96 kilos: R.C. Johnson (Sunkist Kids) vs. Pete Gounaridis (Sunkist Kids) Women's Freestyle 48 kilos: Clarissa Chun (Sunkist Kids) vs. Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids) 63 kilos: Elena Pirozhkova (Gator WC) vs. Adeline Gray (New York AC)

Related Content: Results|Sunday Recap|Sunday interviews|Saturday Recap|Saturday Interviews IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Last year Jordan Burroughs made his first U.S. World Team, and made the most of it, winning a World title at 74 kilos. On Saturday, Burroughs made his first U.S. Olympic Team, and will now get his first crack at Olympic gold this summer at the London Games. Burroughs faced a game Andrew Howe, who pushed him to three periods in the opening match of the best-of-three finals. Howe, though, suffered an injury in the match and was forced to injury default. Jordan Burroughs defeated Andrew Howe in the finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)"It's kind of anticlimactic," said Burroughs of winning by injury default. "It's tough. I didn't want it to end this way. I'm happy to be on the team. My main goal was to be on the team coming into this tournament, and I did that." It's the second straight year that Burroughs has beaten Howe in the finals of the Trials. Last year Burroughs defeated Howe in the finals of the U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma City, Okla. "He wrestled tough the whole match to be injured," Burroughs said of Howe. "Hats off to him. He's a competitor. He's a grinder. He's a great wrestler. Hopefully he gets better." Returning World bronze medalist Jake Varner of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club also punched his ticket to London with a victory in the finals over Tommy Rowlands of the Sunkist Kids. Varner needed three periods to win the first match against Rowlands, and then took the second match in two periods. Varner was quick to give credit to his coach, Olympic gold medalist and Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson. "I owe a lot to that guy," Varner said of Cael. "He's been with me ever since I got into college ... I can't thank him enough. I love that guy." For Varner, it's not just about earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. He has higher goals. "This is a stepping stone," said Varner. "You have to achieve this one first. I'm not going to stop here. It's not about being an Olympian. It's about going and achieving your goals and being an Olympic champion." Coleman Scott defeated Logan Stieber at 60 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The other freestyle champion crowned on Saturday was Coleman Scott, who broke through to win his first Trials title at 60 kilos, beating 2011 Junior World silver medalist Logan Stieber in the finals in two straight matches. "It wasn't pretty, but I got it done," said Scott, who was third in each of the three previous Trials. Scott, a 2008 NCAA champion at Oklahoma State, blanked Stieber in the first match, 3-0, 1-0. The second match went three periods, but Scott prevailed and took the match, 2-0, 0-1, 2-0. Scott had high praise for Stieber following the match. "He's a great kid," Scott said of Stieber. "He's a young kid, but he has a bright future." The U.S. has not yet qualified the 60-kilo weight class in men's freestyle for the Olympic Games, so the top two wrestlers in the weight class, Reece Humphrey and Shawn Bunch, did not compete this weekend in Iowa City. Bunch and Humphrey are preparing for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournaments in late April and early May. If the U.S. does qualify the weight class, Humphrey, Bunch, and Scott will be placed in a three-man bracket to determine which wrestler will represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games. "I just told myself I've got to give myself a chance to make the Olympic Team and be an Olympic champ," said Scott. Three U.S. Army Greco-Roman wrestlers, Spenser Mango (55 kilos), Justin Lester (66 kilos), and Dremiel Byers (120 kilos), earned spots on the U.S. Olympic Team with titles on Saturday. Mango, a 2008 Olympian, dominated 22-year-old rising star Max Nowry of the New York AC in the finals. Mango won the first match by fall, then won 1-0, 3-0 to close out the best-of-three finals victory. Mango was unscored upon in three matches on Saturday. "I'm glad to get this off my chest and now I'm going to move forward for London," said Mango. Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist, made his first U.S. Olympic Team with a two matches to zero victory over U.S. Open champion C.P. Schlatter of the Minnesota Storm. Lester won the opening match 1-0, 2-0, and then closed out the best-of-three finals with a 2-0, 1-2, 1-0 victory. "It was a good day," said Lester. "I had some tough opponents, but I really couldn't get going the way I wanted to go." Lester has represented the U.S. at the World Championships five times, but this summer will be his first time representing the U.S. at the Olympic Games. "It's great," said Lester. "It puts you in a whole different echelon of competitors. The greats have made Olympic teams. The really good guys and some of the best guys have just made World teams." Dremiel Byers is back on the U.S. Olympic Team at 120 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Byers, a 2008 Olympian, shut out surprise-finalist Steve Andrus in the finals. The 37-year-old Byers has represented the U.S. at the World Championships or Olympic Games every year since 2005. He was a World champion in 2002, earned a World bronze medal in 2007, and a World silver medal in 2009. "I'm on a mission," said Byers of his quest for Olympic gold in London. "I'm not letting any distractions, including my own, or me, get in the way. I just have to get this done." Much of talk leading up to this year's Olympic Team Trials centered around a potential comeback of Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner, who was expected to compete at 120 kilos with Byers. Gardner, though, did not weigh in and opted not to return to competition. Byers said the Gardner hoopla wasn't a distraction for him this year. "It was just another guy that was going to be in the tournament," Byers said of Gardner. "That's the way I looked at it. It's a dog and pony show. Antics and all this extra stuff and distractions ... once you're cutting all the distraction out, you might as well cut them all out. So I never let that affect me or anything. If you want to bring it, bring it. That's what I expected, and it didn't happen that way." Chas Betts of the Minnesota Storm claimed the title at 84 kilos in Greco-Roman to make his first U.S. Olympic Team. His victory in the finals came over another Minnesota Storm wrestler, Jordan Holm. "I feel like we've wrestled enough in practices and training camps where I know his main techniques," said Betts. "So I knew what he was going to be coming with. I figured he was going to switch his style up a little after the first match, needed to be more aggressive. So I think prepared myself pretty well for all that mentally." Kelsey Campbell (55 kilos) and Stephany Lee earned two of the four spots on the U.S. Olympic Team for women's freestyle. Campbell, a U.S. World Team member in 2010 and 2011, took the title at 55 kilos with two straight wins over three-time U.S. Open champion Helen Maroulis, who placed fifth at the World Championships last year. "It's surreal," said Campbell, who was fifth at the 2010 World Championships. "I feel like I'm dreaming. Is this real? It's crazy. It's awesome. A lot of people believed. But I think I had to go out there and do it to believe. It had to happen this way." Lee controlled 2008 Olympian Ali Bernard in two consecutive matches to claim the title at 72 kilos. "The only person that could have stopped me was myself, and I didn't have that happen to me," said Lee. "I just let it all go. I put it all on the line, and this is where I am." Saturday's Session II attendance was 13,750, which was a single-session record for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, breaking the previous record of 13,520, which was earlier on Saturday at Session I. Men's Freestyle 60 kilos: Coleman Scott (Gator WC) def. Logan Stieber (New York AC), 2 matches to 1 Scott dec. Stieber, 3-0, 1-0 Scott dec. Stieber, 2-0, 0-1, 2-0 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs (Sunkist Kids) def. Andrew Howe (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Burroughs dec. Howe, 4-2, 1-2, 1-0 Burroughs dec. Howe by injury default 96 kilos: Jake Varner (Nittany Lion WC) def. Tommy Rowlands (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 0 Varner dec. Rowlands, 0-1, 2-0, 1-0 Varner dec. Rowlands, 2-0, 1-0 Greco-Roman 55 kilos: Spenser Mango (U.S. Army) def. Max Nowry (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Mango pinned Nowry, 1:53 Mango dec. Nowry, 1-0, 3-0 66 kilos: Justin Lester (U.S. Army) def. C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota Storm), 2 matches to 0 Lester dec. Schlatter, 1-0, 2-0 Lester dec. Schlatter, 2-0, 1-2, 1-0 84 kilos: Chas Betts (USOEC) def. Jordan Holm (Minnesota Storm), 2 matches to 0 Betts dec. Holm, 1-0, 0-3, 2-0 Betts dec. Holm, 2-0, 2-0 120 kilos: Dremiel Byers (U.S. Army) def. Steve Andrus (Michigan WC), 2 matches to 0 Byers dec. Andrus, 1-0, 1-0 Byers dec. Andrus, 2-0, 2-0 Women's Freestyle 55 kilos: Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) def. Helen Maroulis (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Campbell dec. Maroulis, 0-2, 1-0, 2-1 Campbell dec. Maroulis, 2-0, 0-1, 1-0 72 kilos: Stephany Lee (Sunkist Kids) def. Ali Bernard (Gator WC), 2 matches to 0 Lee dec. Bernard, 3-1, 5-2 Lee dec. Bernard, 3-1, 6-0

Related Content: Results|Sunday Recap|Sunday interviews|Saturday Recap|Saturday Interviews Men's Freestyle 60 kilos: Coleman Scott 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs 96 kilos: Jake Varner Greco-Roman 55 kilos: Spenser Mango 66 kilos: Justin Lester 84 kilos: Chas Betts 120 kilos: Dremiel Byers Women's Freestyle 55 kilos: Kelsey Campbell 72 kilos: Stephany Lee

Men's Freestyle 60 kilos: Coleman Scott (Gator WC) def. Logan Stieber (New York AC), 2 matches to 1 Scott dec. Stieber, 3-0, 1-0 Scott dec. Stieber, 2-0, 0-1, 2-0 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs (Sunkist Kids) def. Andrew Howe (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Burroughs dec. Howe, 4-2, 1-2, 1-0 Burroughs dec. Howe by injury default 96 kilos: Jake Varner (Nittany Lion WC) def. Tommy Rowlands (Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 0 Varner dec. Rowlands, 0-1, 2-0, 1-0 Varner dec. Rowlands, 2-0, 1-0 Greco-Roman 55 kilos: Spenser Mango (U.S. Army) def. Max Nowry (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Mango pinned Nowry, 1:53 Mango dec. Nowry, 1-0, 3-0 66 kilos: Justin Lester (U.S. Army) def. C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota Storm), 2 matches to 0 Lester dec. Schlatter, 1-0, 2-0 Lester dec. Schlatter, 2-0, 1-2, 1-0 84 kilos: Chas Betts (USOEC) def. Jordan Holm (Minnesota Storm), 2 matches to 0 Betts dec. Holm, 1-0, 0-3, 2-0 Betts dec. Holm, 2-0, 2-0 120 kilos: Dremiel Byers (U.S. Army) def. Steve Andrus (Michigan WC), 2 matches to 0 Byers dec. Andrus, 1-0, 1-0 Byers dec. Andrus, 2-0, 2-0 Women's Freestyle 55 kilos: Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) def. Helen Maroulis (New York AC), 2 matches to 0 Campbell dec. Maroulis, 0-2, 1-0, 2-1 Campbell dec. Maroulis, 2-0, 0-1, 1-0 72 kilos: Stephany Lee (Sunkist Kids) def. Ali Bernard (Gator WC), 2 matches to 0 Lee dec. Bernard, 3-1, 5-2 Lee dec. Bernard, 3-1, 6-0

Jordan Holm throws Cheney Haight (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine) IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Saturday's best-of-three finals are set at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials after the opening session at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The attendance for the first session was 13,520. Session II is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT. Finals Matchups Men's Freestyle 60 kilos: Coleman Scott (Gator WC) vs. Logan Stieber (New York AC) 74 kilos: Jordan Burroughs (Sunkist Kids) vs. Andrew Howe (New York AC) 96 kilos: Jake Varner (Nittany Lion WC) vs. Tommy Rowlands (Sunkist Kids) Greco-Roman 55 kilos: Spenser Mango (U.S. Army) vs. Max Nowry (New York AC) 66 kilos: C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota Storm) vs. Justin Lester (U.S. Army) 84 kilos: Chas Betts (Minnesota Storm) vs. Jordan Holm (Minnesota Storm) 120 kilos: Dremiel Byers (U.S. Army) vs. Steve Andrus (Michigan WC) Women's Freestyle 55 kilos: Helen Maroulis (New York AC) vs. Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids) 72 kilos: Ali Bernard (Gator WC) vs. Stephany Lee (Sunkist Kids)

Greco-Roman 55 kilos/121 pounds Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 2. Jermaine Hodge, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 3. Max Nowry, Wheeling, Ill. (New York AC) 4. Paul Tellgren, Anoka, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Nikko Triggas, Moraga, Calif. (New York AC) 6. Mike Fuenffinger, Hibbing, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 7. Nathan Engel, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 8. Tyler Cox, Gillette, Wyo. (Gator WC) 9. Isaiah Varona, Homestead, Fla. (USOEC) 10. Ryan McQuade, Appleton, Wis. (Appleton Aviators) 11. Dmitry Ryabchinskiy, Brooklyn, N.Y.(New York AC) 66 kilos/145.5 pounds Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. C.P. Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn.(Minnesota Storm) 2. Ben Sanchez, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NYAC) 3. Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 4. Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 5. Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 6. Kendrick Sanders, Homestead, Fla. (New York AC) 7. Josh Castellano, Woodale, Ill. (USOEC) 8. Ravaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (Ready RP Nationals) 9. John Cox, Hampstead, N.C. (U.S. Marines) 10. Pat Smith, Anoka, Minn. (Minnesota Storm/Chaska Stallions) 84 kilos/185 pounds Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Chas Betts, Colorado Springs, Colo.(Minnesota Storm) 2. Zac Nielsen, Zimmerman, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 3. Jordan Holm, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 4. Jake Clark, Honolulu, Hawaii (HI Flyers) 5. Peter Hicks, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 6. Cheney Haight, Orem, Utah, (New York AC) 7. Don Simmons, Camp LeJeune, N.C. (Marines) 8. Mark Stenberg, Lockport, Ill. (USOEC) 9. Travis Rutt, New Prague, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 10. Jason Plamann, Kaukauna, Wis. (Fox Valley Grappling) 11. Lee Wildes, Oviedo, Fla. (USOEC) 120 kilos/264.5 pounds Sitting Out: Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Pete Kowalczuk, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Toby Erickson, East Helena, Montana (USOEC) 3. Tim Taylor, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 4. Niko Bogojevic, Superior, Wis. (Minnesota Storm) 5. Jake Kettler, Ramsey, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 6. Joseph Sheffield, Camp LeJeune, N.D. (U.S. Marines) 7. Nick Severson, Pine Island, Minn. (Minnesota Storm) 8. Stephen Andrus, Manhattan, Kan. (Michigan WC) Women's Freestyle 55 kilos/121 pounds Sitting Out: Helen Maroulis, Rockville, Md. (New York AC) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Kelsey Campbell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 2. Sharon Jacobson, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 3. Katherine Fulp-Allen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC) 4. Amy Whitbeck, Duanesburg, N.Y. (New York AC) 5. Michaela Hutchison, Soldotna, Alaska (Oklahoma City) 6. Schuyler Brown, Montpelier, Va. (Gator WC) 7. Haley Augello, Lockport, N.Y. (New York AC) 8. Shauna Isbell, Flagstaff, Ariz. (Lindenwood) 9. Randi Beltz, Chesterfield, Mo. (New York AC) 10. Sarah Hildebrandt, Granger, Ind. (King College) 72 kilos/158.5 pounds Sitting Out: Ali Bernard, New Ulm, Minn. (Gator WC) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 2. Stephany Lee, Colo. Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids) 3. Kristie Davis, Yukon, Okla. (Gator WC/OCU) 4. Julia Salata, Canton, Mich. (King College) 5. Brittany Roberts, Santa Fe, Texas (Gator WC/OCU) 6. Kendra Lewis, Houston, Texas (Lindenwood) 7. Sydney Nelson, Kingsland, Ga. (Cumberlands) 8. Christina Zamora, Orange County, Calif. (Jimmie WC) Men's Freestyle 60 kilos/132 pounds Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Coleman Scott, Sillwater, Okla. (Gator WC) 2. Logan Stieber, Monroeville, Ohio (New York AC) 3. Mike Zadick, Solin, Iowa (Gator WC) 4. Tyler Graff, Loveland, Colo. (New York AC) 5. Matt Valenti, Philadelphia, Pa. (Leigh Valley AC) 6. Derek Moore, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army) 7. Jimmy Kennedy, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC) 8. Martin Berberyan, Valley Village, Calif. (SK Golden Boys) 9. Drew Headlee, Morgantown, W.Va. (Sunkist Kids) 10. Justin Pearch, Colorado Springs (U.S. Army) 11. Kellen Russell, High Bridge, NJ (New York AC) 12. Andrew Hochstrasser, (Bronco WC) 74 kilos/163 pounds Sitting Out: Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb. (Sunkist Kids) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Andrew Howe, Cedar Lake, Ind. (New York AC) 2. Trent Paulson, Ames Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 3. Nick Marable, Columbia, Mo. (Sunkist Kids) 4. Tyler Caldwell, Wichita, Kan. (Sunkist Kids) 5. Ryan Morningstar, Madison, Wis. (New York AC) 6. Kyle Dake, Ithaca, NY (New York AC) 7. Lloyd Rogers, Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye WC) 8. David Taylor, St. Paris, Ohio (Nittany Lion WC) 9. Moza Fay, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) 10. Mike Poeta, Ann Arbor, Mich. (New York AC) 11. Colt Sponseller, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) 12. Matt Brown, West Valley City, Utah (Nittany Lion WC) 96 kilos/211.5 pounds Sitting Out: Jake Varner, State College, Pa. (Nittany Lion WC) Challenge Tournament Seeds 1. Dustin Kilgore, Berea, Ohio (Sunkist Kids) 2. Tommy Rowlands, Columbus Ohio (Sunkist Kids) 3. Wynn Michalak, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC) 4. J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio (New York AC) 5. Chris Pendleton, Laramie, Wyo. (Gator WC) 6. Craig Brester, Lincoln, Neb. (NWTC) 7. David Zabriskie, Ames Iowa (Sunkist Kids) 8. Trevor Brandvold, Verona, Wis. (New York AC) 9. Brent Jones, Colorado Springs, Colo. (OTC) 10. Tanner Hall, Meridian, Idaho (New York AC)

Saturday Session Times: Session I: 9 a.m. CT - 3 p.m. CT Session II: 6 p.m. CT - 9 p.m. CT Weight Classes Contested: Men's Freestyle: 60 kilos, 74 kilos, 96 kilos Greco-Roman: 55 kilos, 66 kilos, 84 kilos, 120 kilos Women's Freestyle: 55 kilos, 72 kilos Sunday Session Times: Session I: 9 a.m. CT - 3 p.m. CT Session II: 6 p.m. CT - 9 p.m. CT Weight Classes Contested: Men's Freestyle: 55 kilos, 66 kilos, 84 kilos, 120 kilos Greco-Roman: 60 kilos, 74 kilos, 96 kilos Women's Freestyle: 48 kilos, 63 kilos

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. There were some excellent questions over the past two weeks, and since some of them were specific to the Olympic Team Trials, I've decided to do a special Trials Mailbag (are second editions too early to be special?). Once again the readers brought some excellent prompts, fantasy wrestling match-ups and even a question having to deal with the upcoming UFC title fight between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former Michigan State standout Rashad Evans. Last week's winner for best question goes to "Wrestling Mom" whose insightful query into scholarships in wrestling prompted me to create a team at Alaska State Fairbanks. It's chilly up here. This week's winner will have an asterisk by their name and receive an InterMat T-shirt. Here we go ... Has there been a stated reason that Cael Sanderson is not competing in the Olympic Team Trials? Is there a consensus of "conventional wisdom?" I can think of a number of potential reasons (not physically one-hundred percent, lost ambition, graciously giving someone else a shot at the "Olympic Dream," etc.), but I am not aware of a stated reason. -- Andy F. Foley: Cael was initially pretty vague about his reasons for sitting out of the 2012 Olympic Team Trials. In talking with people around the program it seemed that he just didn't desire to be back on the world stage, and if he hadn't caught a wild hair in 2011 (and oh, by the way, place fifth after not training full time) he'd probably not be facing questions. Last week, in an article in The Centre Daily Times, Cael said that to compete at that level you have to really want it, and that he, in essence, didn't. The interesting part of Cael's story is the frustration it has created with some wrestling fans. Most of us don't follow all the international results and find it difficult to distinguish between the Azerbaijani and the Ukrainian. For athletes wanting to compete in the Olympic games, those names will have arms, legs, and faces along with years of technique and aggression. If Cael wanted to compete like he did in college, like he did in 2004 and even like he now coaches, he'd have to dedicate himself completely, which means taking time away from his team and his family. He’d have to once again obsess over something he’s already conquered. It's off base to assume that Cael is sitting out to protect his image, or because he was discouraged by his performance in 2011. Wrestlers wrestle because they have something emotional they're trying to work out -- a devil they need to shake loose, a dark patch in their soul that needs to be mended rather than coddled. Some wrestlers are able to set goals, achieve them and then discover that the emotional weight they carrying has disappeared. I've certainly felt that way. I have teammates that have voiced the same relief -- some achieved that balance after high school, others after college. Cael's journey was really over after the 2004 Olympics. To coach is to serve, and Cael seems to be most comfortable in his role, as the leader of young men. He can show them technique, train them to compete or just be their role model. He's been successful and from the outside it looks as though Coach Cael might be the most contented and comfortable version of his personality we've seen. If Reece Humphrey & Shawn Bunch are overseas trying to qualify the U.S. at 60 kilos, what happens when they're back? Will they have a three-way wrestle off with the winner of the OTT? -- @dannyrube Foley: Humphrey and Bunch will both be missing the trials in an attempt to qualify the spot at 60 kilos, first in China, then possibly in Finland. From what I've been told (and this could change), the wrestler who qualifies the spot is assumed to be the top choice, leaving the OTT champ and the non-qualifier to compete in a wrestle-off. The winner of that wrestle-off would then face the qualifying wrestler in a best of three. What is unclear is if the qualification happens in Finland and the qualifying wrestler is Humphrey, but he loses his best two out of three. USA Wrestling has mandated that if the returning U.S. World Team member loses, then the wrestlers head to an overseas event and whoever places higher is the team selection. I simply don't know yet if there is another tournament where both wrestlers can be entered. I imagine that there might be something out there (Mongolia perhaps?), but it's just too early to tell. I also believe that Humprey will be sent to China next weekend, which could eliminate this scenario. What happened to the hype around the club team race? I remember when it was all Sunkist wrestlers, and now it seems to be a lot of NYAC guys. Is there a reason for the switch? -- Todd B. Foley: Money. This is a sport with little financial support and there are two clubs with deep pockets, Sunkist (supported by Art Martori) and the NYAC (supported by the NYC donors). Sunkist was dominant because they had more money to give their athletes ... not just cash, but training opportunities and entry into overseas tournaments. That support hasn't waned as much as the NYAC has started supporting their athletes in a similar fashion, increasing the pay of many athletes and sending them on trips, etc. (One has to assume that major donor Mike Novogratz was part of the rebirth.) Does anyone care which club wins anymore? Not really. American wrestling, unlike that of our overseas competition, isn't loyal to clubs as much as they are collegiate programs, especially now that training facilities have been green-lit at the largest and most financially stable institutions. For example, the story behind Jake Herbert isn't that he's sponsored by the NYAC, it's that he trains at Michigan. It's the same with his practice partners and the cadre of studs killing themselves at the Ohio RTC on the campus of Ohio State. Clubs are awesome support structures not just for athletes, but for coaches, and without them USA Wrestling wouldn't be as competitive internationally. With more money and support the clubs could become more regionalized and possibly create minor rivalries again, both of which would be good for the sport. However, right now if one club team wins it means little to the overall scheme of USA Wrestling. What's mostly important is that we tip our hats to the clubs, and the benefactors that support our wrestlers' Olympic dreams. Who ya' got in a wrestling match, Jon 'Bones' Jones or Rashad Evans? Or do you feel that Phil Davis would have beaten Evans in the semifinal match and would therefore be facing Jones in the championship match Saturday night? -- Trena H. Greg Jones has been helping Rashad Evans train for his fight against Jon Jones (Photo/WVU Wrestling)Foley: In addition to wrestling, I dabble in some MMA journalism. This month I wrote the cover feature for FIGHT! Magazine on Rashad Evans, which meant that in February I was down in Florida meeting with the former champ and interviewing him and his new team, The Blackzillians. Evans, who has a victory over three-time NCAA champion Greg Jones (2002 NCAA tournament, 174-pound wrestlebacks), still follows NCAA wrestling, and had his finger on the day's storylines. His pedigree extends further, as he's coached by former Iowa State All-American Mike Van Arsdale. Jon Jones was a state champion in New York and was eyeing up a chance to wrestle in Division I before he was recruited to compete in MMA. As we saw against Stephan Bonnar, he also knows how to throw another human. Jones has wrestling skills in the Octagon and could be one of the best MMA wrestlers in the game, but I'm taking Rashad in tight 3-1 match. Evans is getting the first period takedown (shoots in a double converts to an outside single on the sprawl, drives in and secures the backside hip), escapes from bottom and neutralizes late attacks by Jones. Evans has been in a college wrestling room and knows how to handle the specific technical issues that arise in a seven-minute match. Also, were it to happen today, I know that Evans still has full-on wrestling practices, while Jones treats it as more of another series of techniques to learn. However ... in a fight? We'll find out Saturday night. Do you have any sleepers for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend? (I don't mean college kids that everyone talks about like David Taylor, Kyle Dake, Ed Ruth, and Matt McDonough. I'm more referring to wrestlers who are tough that seem to fly under the radar.) -- Mike C. Foley: The sleeper picks are always risky because in freestyle there aren't too many surprises. The weight classes are deep and the wrestling is at such a high level that is someone could take the spot we're already likely to be chatting about them. That said, there is at least one "sleeper" wrestler that I think can, and will, win the trials: Kellen Russell. If you buy into the logic that our international success by recent college graduates (Herbert's silver medal in 2009, Burroughs' gold medal in 2011) is worth something then it's difficult not to think Kellen Russell will make it through the Olympic Team Trials as the champion. He's wrestles 30-plus matches and won back-to-back NCAA titles. I think his defensive style, with explosive takedowns, is perfect for international competition. With Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff in his corner he'll also have good strategy. Not sure if he qualifies as a sleeper, but to me he's the leading candidate to emerge from the Trials that won't include Bunch and Humphrey. Who are your choices for winning the Olympic Team Trials in men's freestyle? -- Brian M. Foley: Angel Escobedo. This means that I'm not choosing 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. I'm not, and the reason relates back to Cael Sanderson. I don't know that Cejudo is wrestling to extract demons or because he has the burning desire. What he accomplished in 2008 and how he's parlayed that success into sponsorships and book deals is really impressive. He's a fantastic ambassador for the sport, but will being on weight effect his performance? Has he been getting the training necessary to compete and beat guys who've put in a few years of solid work? I guess we'll see, but I'm putting my chips behind Angel Escobedo. Kellen Russell. See above. Brent Metcalf. I believe he will end up being one of America's great Olympians. Passion and positioning define the Metcalf wrestling style and should he find his way through the Trials I'm expecting him to medal in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Crazy talk, but there is something about the way he's wrestling that has me believing. Jordan Burroughs. I'm looking forward to a possible matchup with David Taylor and/or Kyle Dake, but Burroughs is on a different planet right now. Jake Herbert. He'll have to keep focused and make sure he keeps up the pace against Keith Gavin, but a renewed sense of purpose and home in Michigan seemed to have prepared the World silver medalist for a run at the Olympic gold. Jake Varner. Again, he's almost unthreatened. The returning bronze medalist shouldn't have much issue in maintaining his march towards London. Tervel Dlagnev. He took silver in the Yarygin Tournament in January and has been consistent on home soil. Look for the 2011 World Team member to keep his position and make the U.S. Olympic Team. With the Olympic Team Trials coming up, do you think anyone can emerge from this year's college ranks and have the type of impact that Jordan Burroughs had a year ago. In other words, do you think there's anyone currently in college that can not only emerge as our Olympic representative, but threaten to medal? -- Hank K. Foley: This would go along with my sleeper pick of Kellen Russell. He's got everything you want in a top-level competitor and if he earns the spot he's as much a threat to place as any other wrestler on the roster. The Living the Dream Medal Fund seems to be keeping at least some of the talent around for the Olympic Team Trials. Is the program a success? It seems like we are losing the best guys to MMA (Ben Askren after 2008). Who else is going pro? -- Jeff L. Foley: Think about wrestling in terms of financial resources only and you find your answer. MMA is filtering out talent, but that's a good thing. Take Ben Askren, for example. He made the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, earned a win, but ultimately fell short of medaling. In the two years between graduating from Missouri and hopping a flight back from Beijing you can assume he cleared, on average, a little more than $60k a year for his post-collegiate wrestling career. He was committed to the task full time, even though he'd only have one tournament to compete in that mattered. So when Askren looked at the finances of MMA and saw the ability to make $40k or $60k a fight plus sponsorships, he was likely sold. Askren could control his destiny more in the Octagon than on the mat, earn a better paycheck and ultimately have a higher standard of living with the potential for making millions in the future. Now let's take a look at 74 kilos in 2012 with returning World champion Jordan Burroughs. Let's assume that he's making more than $60k a year to compete. That's largely due to the fact that resources aren't being split between him and Ben Askren. With fewer wrestlers vying for the limited resource (money), there is a higher concentration of dollars headed toward the best athletes. They're also receiving better coaching, training in better facilities, and reaping all types of secondary and tertiary benefits of having fewer big names drawing from the same limited pool of funds. More money means more wins, and with less internal competition for those dollars, I think we'll continue to see improvements on the international stage -- oddly due to MMA and its appeal. Money isn't the only motivating factor for many athletes, but for some it does hold an appeal and directs their post-collegiate choices. That Bubba Jenkins went into MMA and Brent Metcalf stayed in wrestling seems to match their public persona. Jenkins very much likes attention and the appearance of fame, while Metcalf does well to shrink into the bleachers between matches only to emerge and rip off his opponent's limbs. MMA is an excellent career for many of wrestling's finest athletes, and I for one am happy to see them out there growing the sport and earning the type of widespread respect if deserves. Godzilla vs. King Kong in Greco. My gut tells me that Godzilla's stumpy arms would put him at a disadvantage. However, with his gigantic tail, he has such a natural low center of gravity. Who wins? -- A. Burr To the tapes! The basic problem we face in a Godzilla v. King Kong matchup is that we would have to convince the beasts to attack each other, but then to not bite, eye gauge or blow fire on one another. Additionally, we’d have to convince them to not use their legs (or tails) for offense. Assuming we can do this (and I have serious doubts that we can) a battle can take place. According to the 1950's trailer above, rife with adjectives and awful pyrotechnics, an interlude between "scientists" claims that Godzilla's brain is but the size of a walnut, while King Kong, the primate, is equipped with a large, "thinking brain." The trailer also wants us to trust fully the assertions of our 1950's scientists when they tell us that the hope for humanity is being tethered to the theory that "brains triumphs brawn." (The announcer also tells us that Polynesians believe in ritual sacrifice and that all women when trapped in the clutches of King Kong would flail their arms dramatically while screeching desperately.) Full-length fight! In the second video we see the full battle between King Kong and Godzilla. The scene opens with the Japanese carrying a reluctant Kong to a remotes battlefield via ... yellow balloons? Like the house in the movie UP, the protagonist is hitched to a bundle of helium-filled plastic, and being trailed by a helicopter of excited Japanese scientists (though they might also be filmmakers). Once near the battlefield (and the waiting Godzilla), Kong is cut loose and sent tumbling down a mountainside. Kind of a cruel delivery for the ape you want to save the planet from the destruction of a dinosaur. On the battlefield Kong immediately attacks a fleeing Godzilla (This will count towards the pre-match psychological advantage.) Kong pulls his tail and throws boulders at the lizard's back. Once Godzilla engages we see that he utilizes his fire-breathing ability and several times knocks back an advancing Kong. Then, as though he was being coached by Steve Frasier, Kong hits a NASTY high dive. The duo tumble down the hill and the Japanese scientist/filmmaker/voyeur tells Kong to "hold his tail." I imagine that even if he heard the man’s coaching from a helicopter that Kong’s response would have been "this coming from the guy that dropped me on the side of a mountain ... " (A very odd series of self-inflicted wounds, followed by a boulder burial seem to doom Kong. When Godzilla unleashes his fiery breath we hear the know-it-all in the helicopter respond, "Oh, Godzilla is roasting Kong!") The pilot then mentions that there is an electrical storm ahead! Right. On. Time. Apparently electricity makes Kong (a primate) stronger. No explanation needed or given! 6:33: Godzilla hits a knee tap and sends Kong flying, earning the takedown and possible exposure. 6:55: High-amplitude arm spin by Kong! You can't come back from a five-point move in Greco. You just can’t ... or can you? 7:25: Godzilla gets an over-under and pancakes Kong. Huge turn of events. (They've also destroyed a mid-size Japanese village with their feet.) 8:06: Godzilla hits a tail-sweep -- an illegal low-attack that doesn't count towards the final tally. 8:12: High dive by Kong nets him another takedown, though in retaliation it looks like Godzilla has decided to burn down a section of the village. Godzilla tries to hide behind the village's largest building, but is thwarted when Kong, apparently with no sense for the value of human life or Japanese heritage, begins dismantling the structure swipe-by-swipe, floor-by-floor until he can finally reach Godzilla. The pair tumble off the cliff and into the water causing ... oh, boy ... an earthquake. The town is completely swallowed by the earth (because that happens). We're talking billions in property damage. Kong emerges as the champion, swimming home across the specific. There is no answer given but we're left to assume that Kong managed to drown Godzilla (didn't he come from the ocean?) The American reporter then tells the audience that he wishes King Kong a safe trip home. Do you?! He just destroyed a majority of coastal Japan, send him the bill. I find myself pulling for Kong. Yes, he wrecked New York, but he can be taught. Kong is essentially representative of tribal man's struggle for a balanced life in a civilized world, one where he can relax and finally enjoy the comfort of a female partner in a safe, Godzilla-free world. As a wrestler I can relate to that desire, like Kong I think we've all felt like we were the only hunters left in a world increasingly run by gatherers. My instincts tell me that Kong can be a better man ape and if that’s true then (channeling Rocky) you can change, and I can change, then we can ALL change. Like the ethnocentric doctor said in the preview, nothing is more powerful than the mind, and it’s because Kong can game plan that he beats Godzilla 6-1, 4-1.

Weight Classes Contested on Saturday Men's Freestyle: 60 kilos, 74 kilos, 96 kilos Greco-Roman: 55 kilos, 66 kilos, 84 kilos, 120 kilos Women's Freestyle: 55 kilos, 72 kilos Men's Freestyle 60 Kilos Expected Competitors: Coleman Scott, Derek Moore, Matt Valenti, Tyler Graff, Martin Berberyan, Jimmy Kennedy, Justin Pearch, Drew Headlee, Andrew Hochstrasser, Mike Zadick, Logan Stieber, Jordan Oliver, Kellen Russell Synopsis: This is one of only two weight classes that the U.S. has not qualified a spot for the Olympic Games. (The other weight class is 96 kilos in Greco-Roman.) Humphrey and Bunch will not compete this weekend, and the Trials winner, assuming the weight class gets qualified, will be placed in a three-man bracket with Humphrey and Bunch. Zadick, a 2007 World silver medalist, is the only past U.S. World Team member expected to compete in this weight class this weekend. Scott won the Dave Schultz Memorial this year and has been knocking on the door. College stars Logan Stieber, Jordan Oliver, Kellen Russell, and Tyler Graff will be looking to make some noise in this weight class. Stieber, a Junior World silver medalist, was fourth at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials. 74 Kilos Returning World champion Jordan Burroughs earned an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals at 74 kilos (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Expected Competitors: Jordan Burroughs, Andrew Howe, Nick Marable, Lloyd Rogers, Ryan Morningstar, Colt Sponseller, Tyler Caldwell, Moza Fay, Mike Poeta, Matt Brown, Trent Paulson, David Taylor, Kyle Dake Synopsis: Burroughs has become the face of USA Wrestling after winning a World championship shortly after graduating from college. He has not lost an international match and has won eight events. Burroughs' World title gives him an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. He will await the winner of the Challenge Tournament, which is very much up for grabs. Howe was runner-up to Burroughs at the Trials a year ago, and took this past year season off from college to focus on freestyle. Paulson is a past U.S. World Team member down a weight at 66 kilos. NCAA champions Taylor and Dake add intrigue to this weight class. 96 Kilos Expected Competitors: Jake Varner, Dustin Kilgore, J.D. Bergman, Trevor Brandvold, Craig Brester, Tanner Hall, Brent Jones, Wynn Michalak, Chris Pendleton, Tommy Rowlands, David Zabriskie Synopsis: Varner, as a returning World bronze medalist, gets an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. Ohio RTC wrestlers Bergman and Rowlands are past U.S. World Team members. Bergman was 10th at the 2010 World Championships, while Rowlands was fifth at the 2007 World Championships. Kent State's Kilgore, who took an Olympic redshirt, has put together a strong season, winning the Sunkist Kids International, Cerro Pelado International, and Pan American Championships. Brester was fourth at the Sunkist Kids International and won the Olympic Trials Qualifier. Pendleton, a three-time Sunkist Kids International champion, has moved up to 96 kilos from 84 kilos. Greco-Roman 55 Kilos Expected Competitors: Spenser Mango, Jermaine Hodge, Max Nowry, Nikko Triggas, Mike Fuenffinger, Nathan Engel, Tyler Cox, Ryan McQuade, Dmitry Ryabchinskiy, Paul Tellgren, Isaiah Varona Synopsis: Mango is the prohibitive favorite in this weight class. He was eighth at the 2008 Olympic Games, and represented the U.S. at the World Championships in each of the past three years. He was a University World champion and Junior World bronze medalist, but he's still looking for his first World or Olympic medal on the senior level. Hodge was a 2009 U.S. Open champion, and finished runner-up to Mango at this year's U.S. Open. He claimed a silver at this year's Pan American Championships. Nowry placed third at the U.S. Open, and was a fifth-place finisher at the 2010 Junior World Championships. Tellgren finished runner-up at both the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials in 2011. There are some capable wrestlers with strong pedigrees in this weight class, but it's Mango title to lose. 66 Kilos Expected Competitors: Justin Lester, C.P. Schlatter, Ben Sanchez, Glenn Garrison, Josh Castellano, Zach Lamano, John Cox, Ravaughn Perkins, Faruk Sahin, Kendrick Sanders, Pat Smith Synopsis: Lester, a two-time World bronze medalist, is expected to compete in this weight class after winning the U.S. Open up a weight class at 74 kilos. Had Lester made the decision to compete at 74 kilos this weekend, he would have received an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals based on his fifth-place finish at the 2011 World Championships coupled with his U.S. Open title. At 66 kilos, Lester must go through the Challenge Tournament where he will see some stiff competition. Schlatter is having a very strong season. He won the U.S. Open, and also claimed gold medals at the Sunkist Kids International and the New York AC International. Army wrestlers Garrison and Sahin are seasoned veterans who should figure into the mix. Sanders, Perkins, and Smith are young, rising stars to keep an eye on. 84 Kilos Expected Competitors: Chas Betts, Zac Nielsen, Jordan Holm, Donald Simmons, Peter Hicks, Mark Stenberg, Cheney Haight, Jake Clark, Jason Plamann, Travis Rutt, T.C. Dantzler Synopsis: This is one of the more wide-open weight classes. Five of the top challengers in this weight class -- Betts, Clark, Nielsen, Holm, and Rutt -- are Minnesota natives. Betts, a 2009 U.S. World Team member, claimed the U.S. Open title. He has wrestled well in both domestic and international events this season. Clark, who has been living and training in Hawaii, is a two-time U.S. World Team member. He has been at or near the top of this weight class for the past 10 years. Nielsen dropped down from 96 kilos, and had a strong U.S. Open, finishing runner-up to Betts. Holm was a U.S. Open champion last year, but fell short of making his first U.S. World Team. Rutt, a college athlete who took an Olympic redshirt season, was eighth at the U.S. Open, but recently won the Final U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier, which included a win over 2008 Olympian T.C. Dantzler, who made a comeback. Haight made the U.S. World Team last year, but was seventh at this year's U.S. Open. 120 Kilos Expected Competitors: Dremiel Byers, Brandon Rupp, Pete Kowalczuk, Toby Erickson, Nikola Bogojevic, Jake Kettler, Joseph Sheffield, Steve Andrus, Rulon Gardner, Nick Severson, Timothy Taylor Synopsis: Byers, a 2008 Olympian, has been the dominant force in this weight class in the U.S. for many years. He was a World champion in 2002, World bronze medalist in 2007, and World silver medalist in 2009. Byers has claimed 10 U.S. Open titles. One of the biggest storylines of this year's Trials is the return of Gardner, an Olympic gold medalist in 2000, World champion in 2001, and Olympic bronze medalist in 2004. The 40-year-old Gardner let his weight balloon to 474 pounds at one during his retirement from the sport, so it remains to be seen if he will make weight and how he will perform after a long layoff. Rupp finished runner-up to Byers at the U.S. Open, and has been knocking on the door for the past four years, finishing runner-up at the Trials twice and third once. Taylor has been near the top of this weight class for several years. He was runner-up to Byers at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. The Minnesota Storm has three highly-capable wrestlers in this weight class: Bogojevic, Kettler, and Severson. Kowalczuk is a past University World bronze medalist and placed third at the U.S. Open. Erickson was Junior World bronze medalist last year and placed fourth at this year's U.S. Open. Women's Freestyle 55 Kilos Expected Competitors: Helen Maroulis, Leigh Jaynes, Kelsey Campbell, Katherine Fulp-Allen, Amy Whitbeck, Schuyler Brown, Haley Augello, Sarah Hildebrandt, Ashley Hudson, Michaela Hutchison, Sharon Jacobson Synopsis: Maroulis has solidified herself as the No. 1 wrestler in this weight class and has earned an automatic berth in the best-of-three finals. She was fifth at last year's World Championships and won her third U.S. Open title this year. Maroulis has also won three Junior World medals. Jaynes and Campbell, both past U.S. World Team members, lead the group of wrestlers in the Challenge Tournament. Jaynes, a 2007 U.S. World Team member, was runner-up to Maroulis at the U.S. Open. Campbell, who was fifth at the World Championships in 2010, finished third at the U.S. Open, losing only to Jaynes. Fulp-Allen is a past University World champion. The weight class also includes college stars like Michaela Hutchison, a three-time WCWA women's college national champion. 72 Kilos Expected Competitors: Ali Bernard, Iris Smith, Stephany Lee, Kristie Davis, Brittany Roberts, Julia Salata, Christen Dierken, Kendra Lewis, Brittany Delgado, Sydney Nelson, Christina Zamora Synopsis: Bernard, who represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games, claimed a bronze medal at last year's World Championships, which qualified the weight class for the Olympic Games and earned her a spot in the best-of-three finals on Saturday. Bernard also has two Junior World titles and a University World title on her resume. The Challenge Tournament at this weight class is filled with talent and experience. Two past World champions, Smith and Davis, are expected to compete. Smith, a World champion in 2005, picked up her fifth U.S. Open title of her career this year. Davis is a U.S. wrestling legend. She is a two-time World champion and nine-time World medalist. There are several college wrestlers who could make noise in this weight class.

EDMOND, Okla. -- Undefeated Upper Iowa 133-pounder Trevor Franklin has been named the 2011-12 NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year, it was announced Thursday. Franklin capped a perfect 28-0 campaign by capturing his second straight Division II national championship March 10 in Pubelo, Colo., winning at 133 pounds this season after taking the 125-pound crown last year. Trevor FranklinFranklin is fifth recipient of the award, sponsored by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches’ Association and voted on by eight regional representatives from around the country. He was the runaway winner, with Nebraska-Kearney 157-pound national champion T.J. Hepburn coming in second and North Carolina-Pembroke 165-pound national winner Mike Williams third. "This is a tremendous honor and I am a bit overwhelmed by the recognition," Franklin said. "This award doesn't come to me alone; great coaching and great partners in the wrestling room have pushed me to this point. There are some awards you can control, like national championships, and then there are awards that you can't like this one. It's just great to have others recognize the work put in. I'm grateful for the honor." Franklin put together a dominating season in 2011-12 for the Peacocks, giving up only four offensive points (two takedowns) in 28 matches, including none in a 4-0 run to the title at the national tournament. He had 16 bonus-point wins, collecting nine falls and seven major decisions. A product of Unadilla Valley High School in South New Berlin, N.Y., Franklin ended the season with a 44-match winning streak and is 55-2 over the past two seasons. He has won three straight Super Region Three crowns and is undefeated in both Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and dual meet action for his career. "The quality and quantity of Division II wrestling is outstanding to say the least," Upper Iowa head coach Heath Grimm said. "Since Upper Iowa's transition into Division II, I have seen the talent level continually climb to new heights each and every season. It is a great honor for Trevor to be recognized for his phenomenal season. The fact that he moved up a weight class, went undefeated and only surrendered four offensive points all season en route to winning his second NCAA championship speaks for itself." Previous winners of the award were Nebraska-Kearney heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev (2008), Nebraska-Omaha 157-pounder Todd Meneely (2009), Pittsburgh-Johnstown 133-pounder Shane Valko (2010) and Western State 197-pounder Donovan McMahill (2011).

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Four-time All-American Joe LeBlanc has been hired as an assistant coach for the Indiana University wrestling program, announced head coach Duane Goldman on Thursday (Apr. 19). LeBlanc comes to Bloomington after a collegiate career at the University of Wyoming that left him as the greatest wrestler in school history. Joe LeBlanc"I have been a fan of Joe LeBlanc since I first saw him at the NCAA Championships during his freshman season," said Goldman. "His attitude and passion for the sport are evident in the way that he competes. His commitment to wrestling, academics and family make him a great fit for our staff and the goals of our program." With 147 wins, LeBlanc became the winningest grappler to ever don a Wyoming singlet. Eighteen of those victories came at the NCAA Championships en route to four consecutive top-six finishes that vaulted him to the All-American stand. "This is a great opportunity for me and my family," said LeBlanc. "The coaching staff at IU has a great reputation and I'm excited for the chance to work at a Big Ten institution. I expect great things moving forward and can't wait to be a part of something bigger than myself." LeBlanc married his wife, Amanda (Gillan), on May 5, 2009; and has two sons, Tyson and Colby. He'll complete his kinesiology and health promotion degree from Wyoming before arriving in Bloomington. Coming up this weekend, LeBlanc is headed to Iowa City, Iowa to compete in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials (84 KG/185 lbs; freestyle). The Meeker, Colo., native capped off his collegiate career with a 34-3 mark as a senior. He lost just one bout during the regular season, earning the No. 1 seed at 184 pounds for the 2012 NCAA Championships. Overall, LeBlanc was 147-22 and the only four-time All-American in Cowboy history.

Related Link: The MMA Outsider Podcast Archives After a lot of build-up and promotional videos, UFC 145 is finally upon us. The boys break down the long-awaited main event between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former titleholder Rashad Evans. They also discuss the UFC's so-called clothing sponsorship of Jones, whether it's a conflict of interest, and the UFC's retraction demand for CagePotato.com due to a joke on the subject. Once that's done, Strikeforce veteran David Hulett (19-10) joins the show to discuss his upcoming bout on April 24 in Australia against Xavier Lucas (8-2), and an impressive streak of five wins in his last seven bouts -- including a submission victory over Bellator welterweight Ryan Ford.

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 join us for a special live three-hour Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster and Jeff Murphy live from Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City Iowa. Brad Johnson will be in studio with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News. Join us this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon CT/10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. It's time for the Olympic Team Trials! 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, coaches: Join in the conversation live by calling 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Listen on radio, computer, Blackberry, or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

InterMat recently caught up with 2009 World silver medalist Jake Herbert and talked with him about this weekend's U.S. Olympic Team Trials, training in Michigan, Cael Sanderson, Donny Pritzlaff, and much more. Jake Herbert (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Are you nervous about the Olympic Team Trials? Herbert: I figured out how to not get nervous. I'm just going to picture it as an NCAA tournament. All I have to do is just show I'm the best wrestler in the country at 84 kilos. Everybody is surrounding this tournament with London and the Olympics and that's nerve-racking for anybody. You just have to view it as just a national tournament. That's all you have to do. Have you prepared for anyone in particular? Herbert: We don't know the seeds, but I'd guess I'm preparing for Reader in the semifinals and Gavin in the finals. But who knows? Doesn't matter, really. I have to wrestle two tough matches and then beat a tough guy twice in the finals. Possibly Ed Ruth ... Herbert: Uh, yeah, Ed Ruth is pretty damn good wrestler. What was your reaction to finding out Cael wasn't competing? Herbert: If he would have shown up to wrestle, it would've just meant that I'd have to beat him to go. Whoever steps on the mat I have to beat, whether it's an Olympic gold medalist or not. I have to beat him to go the Olympics. Michigan Men (left to right): Jimmy Kennedy, Andrew Howe, Tyrel Todd, Josh Churella, Mike Poeta, and Jake Herbert (Photo/Leah Howard, Michigan Sports Information)Tell us a little bit about life in Michigan. Herbert: The last eight months has been fun. It's nice to have a team to train with right now. There aren't a lot of places like we have here. You normally have one guy here or there, or you're training with the college team. It's freestyle focused with these guys. Better focus? Herbert: We aren't trying to win NCAAs. We're trying to beat the Russians. We have seven of us who can all come in and lift together, wrestle together, hang out together. We're all living and breathing the same goal and that's getting an Olympic medal. Makes it easier and makes it a lot more fun. I saw some pretty contentious in-fighting on Facebook regarding handball … Herbert: We play handball twice a week and it definitely gets heated. I heard you're no good. Herbert: Riiight. I'm probably top three. Who else is up there? Herbert: We all have our strengths. Poeta has quick bursts, Howe's very good defensively ... fantastic goalie. Josh Churella is an all-around player. Stevens, Russell, they just never stop moving. A good team needs all those guys, and you need a guy like me who touches the ball and usually scores. Jake Herbert fell to Cael Sanderson in the finals of the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Your scouting report of their handball could just as easily been used for their wresting. Herbert: We take it seriously, Foley. Same teams each week? Herbert: We were doing Ann Arbor versus Ypsilanti, which was our house against Howe, Todd and Kyle Massey. But now we basically do captains and go from there. Back to the mat, you have a reputation for being a slow-starter in matches. How've you remedied that? Herbert: Yeah, I used to be, but I've now decided to start kicking ass earlier. Technically speaking, how are you doing that? Herbert: Just going harder. I've toned up. I've tightened up my defense, and I haven't lost my offense. As I get people tired they are easier to score on, and easier break. That's not technically "technical." Herbert: Shut up. I saw you got in a Twitter beef with my boy Josh Lowe of InterMat. Herbert: (laughs) I like that he called me out on "not doing anything since 2009" because it shows that nobody follows international wrestling. I've beaten the last two World champions. I'm 3-0 against them in total. I'm 2-0 against the Azerbaijani who won it. Jake Herbert at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark with U.S. coaches Zeke Jones and Sean Bormet (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)It bothers you? Herbert: No. Let 'em think what they want. I've been placing at tournaments, I've been placing overseas. I don't think there is a clear front-runner at 84 kilos and I'm doing the right things. I can beat the best guys in the world. I can beat the Uzbeki, I can beat the Russian, I can beat the Azerbaijani. Do you think that this Olympic cycle was well-timed for you, having three full years to prepare? Herbert: I don't know, possibly. There has to be something with people coming out of college and going right into (international competition) as a good as they've done. Look at me in 2009 and Burroughs in 2011. So you think that the college training can be an advantage? Herbert: Your endurance and shape is going to be huge. These six-minute matches to foreigners is the hardest thing in the world, that's not even a full college match, you still have a minute left on the clock. Has your team tried to replicate that? Get more matches in? Herbert: We definitely tried to wrestle the seven-minute college folkstyle match as often as possible. It's tiring. You're flexing and using your muscles the entire time, whether you're riding and trying to get an escape. That's a hard grind, not like the quick explosiveness of a freestyle match. So Bormet and Pritz have guys training folkstyle year-round? Herbert: Not as much now, but earlier in the year we were wrestling live with the college guys, but we've since focused solely on the freestyle. You told me that you got to train with Jordan Burroughs at NCAAs. How was that? Herbert: We wrestled a match and got into a great scramble. Nobody I'm wrestling is going to be able to move like that. You were an atrocious practice room wrestler in college. Has that improved? Herbert: Yes! I'm not getting beaten to a pulp in the room and I'm actually shutting people down and winning some matches. I'm serious. I win matches. Are you still getting your daily ass-whippings by Donny Pritzlaff? Herbert: Ah, no ... Donny said he's not handing them out right now because he's trying to build our confidence. Are you as scared of Pritz as the majority of wrestlers between 150 and 180 pounds? Herbert: You can actually have that list go up to 230 pounds. He takes down our heavyweight. Jake Herbert (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)What makes him so good? Herbert: His hands. What you guys don't know about Donny is that he's a hard-working guy from the East Coast. His dad was blue-collar guy, so growing up his dad would dip Donny's hands in concrete every night before bed. So if you go and shake hands with Donny, or if you wrestle him, it's like a 40-pound weight hitting you over the head. On top of that, I believe he has four lungs. He's an impressive male. Herbert: You can't tell the difference between him and Howe. I'm telling you that they're cousins. Stop it. Herbert: They are cousins to me. Looking forward, what are your thoughts on the Olympic Games? Herbert: I need to win this weekend then get there and get my draw. It would be nice to be alone in the top side of the bracket, but I'm going to prepare to have the Azerbaijani in the first round, the Russian the second, and then the Uzbeki. I want to win the gold medal and I know that there is no easy way to do that. You have to train harder if you expect to win.

Alexander Gustafsson (Photo/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) It's been raining in Chicago this week. Lake Michigan, a normally placid and calm body of water, has been made angry by the wind and the rain. Where sailboats normally dawdle by, white caps are raising up. But between April showers comes sunshine and the extra light that exposes the city's residents to the dusty reality that are our homes. Initiate Spring Cleaning. For some readers, like my friend who lives in forever-sunny Miami, spring doesn't warrant serious cleaning, but in a three-season city like Chicago (freezing, lukewarm, and humid) dirt and grime can hide for months inside 4 p.m. sunsets. Like a Chicago winter, the UFC recently went dark, four weeks with no fights, only this week awakening in Sweden. Of course, the schedule picks up through the summer, starting with this coming weekend's much-anticipated matchup between UFC light heavyweight champion Jonny "Bones" Jones and top contender "Suga" Rashad Evans. The Jones vs. Evans fight could be overhyped, but I'll still be paying the $55 PPV. It's because that fight and the next month of UFC content is so excellent -- and the last month has on the contrary been devoid of good storylines -- that I'm recommending five storylines that need to be swept up and tossed out. Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jon Jones He's tall and he kicks people, but no matter how bad Alexander Gustafsson beat up a rusty Thiago Silva, there is little compelling rational minds to compare the Swedish giant to Jon Jones. Unfortunately, the MMA Twitteratti is by habit irrational. The Gustafsson vs. Jones argument might be the freshest of the old and crusty stories being recycled, but it could easily be the most ridiculous. The comparisons and the simple-mindedness of thinking that that the Swedes reach will somehow be the antidote to Jones' constant advantage (9.5 inch against Evans) is too finite to be realistic. I was impressed with the skyscraper's kicks and ability to slow down Silva in their fight, but the obsession with pushing him towards a fight with Jones is premature, and already a bore. Oh, and though he's -500 in Vegas, it's also a little rash to assume a Jones victory on Saturday. There is at least one psychological advantage working in Evans' favor: Big Brother Syndrome. Gilbert Melendez's Strikeforce purgatory Melendez is a good fighter. He's won six of his last seven fights and should one day be considered for a running the UFC, but the constant bellyaching about not making it into the big show is beginning to seem counterproductive. The UFC might move him over if he becomes a marketable draw, but his downcast pestering (unlike the joyful Tweeting of guys like Roy Nelson) has come across petulant and whiny. I like watching Melendez fight, but he's wasted too much airtime complaining about his Strikeforce contract (there are more fights to come) and not enough time trying to become that promotion's all-star. It's not often you are given run of an economically stable promotion. The sooner Melendez recognizes that he can create a profit for himself in Strikeforce, the sooner he can make the transition to the UFC. King Mo fallout I'm as guilty as anyone else for being sucked into the drama surrounding King Mo's NSAC suspension and subsequent firing from Zuffa, but I think we can all agree that the apologies (while late) have finally been delivered. For me, what became the most interesting aspect of the whole affair was the in-fighting amongst the MMA media. The journalists in MMA are often tagged as fan-boys before reporters, and many did get caught up in defending King Mo, and others began eviscerating those journalists' weak-handed opinion pieces (Kevin Iole at Yahoo.com did the best job of finding facts as they related to the hearing and accusations of racism by Pat Lundell). The entire episode exposed the industry's sensitivity to criticism and just how incomplete many assessments of the event became when clouded by ego, and the constant trumpeting of fighter's rights. Truth is, with the notable exception of Josh Gross at ESPN, much of the MMA media does chose to chase the bamboo shorts. Moving forward, the media should be a little more cognizant of when they choose to defend a fighter and why, because with King Mo it was poorly executed and dragged on for far too long. Bellator exists?! I've been on the Bellator beat for several months, writing several profiles for FIGHT! Magazine and finding myself impressed with their often under-evaluated talent. With the UFC in hiatus Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney had the month to host fights and appear on the MMA talk show circuit. He's soft-spoken, but between his simple message (tournament formats are, like, cool) and fun title fights, many fans were screaming about how great the organization could be for the sport as a second-tier competitor. The Bellator model will continue to be successful because they're on the Viacom bankroll, and that means billions of dollars backing each decision. MMA companies are entertainment and media entities, not sports organization and Viacom knows how to makes sustainable and profitable programming. It's time to get used to Bellator. They aren't (that) new and they aren't going to be an also-ran for too much longer. TRT in MMA Has there ever been a more discussed topic where less was known? The UFC and the NSAC are both to blame, the former for a lack of will to enforce any comprehensive drug policy and the latter for not having clear guidelines. Scratch the surface further (and many have) and you quickly find that the most fundamental question: Is TRT dangerous? If so, at what levels? What levels should earn exemptions? Are there natural ways to raise TRT without taking creams or injections? The lack of information is so profound that complaining about it seems off-point. Investigations like the ones reported by ESPN's Josh Gross on fighter pay would probably shed some light and get public opinion in one direction. Do that and we can get the UFC and NSAC to do something more than displace blame. For an interesting read on how TRT can be beneficial read the lengthy feature by Craig Davidson in this month's Esquire.

Terry Steiner and Kevin Wulff will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, April 18. “On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. An archive of the show can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Steiner is the current US National Teams coach for women’s wrestling. He was an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa in 1993. Wulff is the CEO of ASICS America. He will be at the Olympic Trials in Iowa City to present their “Stop at Never” athletic exhibition. ASICS has been long-standing supporter of wrestling.

Takedown Interview: Chris Bono, formerly the head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga and a longtime assistant coach at Iowa State, has been hired as head wrestling coach at South Dakota State University, Jackrabbit Director of Athletics Justin Sell announced Tuesday. "Chris was selected from an outstanding pool of candidates," Sell said. "Chris brings tremendous credentials both as an athlete and a coach and we are excited about the passion he will bring for wrestling in support of our student-athletes. His hiring gives us an opportunity to build a nationally competitive program while maintaining our commitment to academics and community service." "I'd like to thank the search committee and Justin Sell for this opportunity," Bono said. "It's something I'm excited about and I am really fired up to get the program back on the map." Chris BonoAfter winning a national title and earning All-America honors three times during his collegiate wrestling career at Iowa State, Bono joined the Cyclone coaching staff in 1997 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2002. While at Iowa State, Bono recruited and coached four-time NCAA champion Cael Sanderson. He also was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 in helping lead Iowa State to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships with five wrestlers earning All-America honors. Bono moved on to Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2005 as the top assistant and was named head coach a year later. The Moccasins won three Southern Conference titles during his tenure and were ranked as high as 10th in the country during the 2008 season. He led Chattanooga to a 39-17 dual record, including a 16-1 mark during the 2006-07 season. In 2009, Bono returned to Iowa State as an assistant coach for one season before stepping down to enter private business. Bono has remained active in the wrestling community, conducting numerous camps and clinics across the country, as well as serving on the USA Wrestling Board of Directors. As a collegiate wrestler, Bono won a national title at 150 pounds in 1996 and claimed a runner-up finish in 1997. He also won both Big 8 and Big 12 conference titles en route to 130 career victories. Bono continued to compete nationally and internationally after graduating from Iowa State with a degree in exercise and sport science. He was an alternate for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team and was a member of the U.S. World Championships team in 2001, 2002 and 2005.

In honor of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials being held in Iowa City, it only makes sense to honor the first wrestler originally from the state of Iowa to win an Olympic gold medal. No, it wasn't Tom Brands. Nor was it Dan Gable. Some of you might be thinking, "It's gotta be Terry McCann!" who wrestled for the University of Iowa, and, yes, won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome ... but was a native of Chicago. And, to the guy in the back of the room, frantically waving his upstretched hand, so sure he'll win the prize by naming Glen Brand, the graduate of Iowa State did win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics. But Brand was hardly the first. Another Iowan won his gold twenty years earlier. Allie MorrisonThe first native son of Iowa to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling -- or, actually, in any sport -- was Marshalltown's own Allie Morrison, who earned his gold at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. For those of you who are alums of one of the wrestling powers located in the state of Iowa, you're probably wondering where Morrison wrestled in college. No, it wasn't University of Iowa ... nor was it Iowa State ... nor what was known as Iowa State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa). Nor was it Cornell College or Wartburg or any of the current Division III programs. Iowa-born Allie Morrison wrestled for the Fighting Illini at the University of Illinois. Morrison's path intersected with some true sports legends. In his senior year, his high school wrestling coach later became a legendary college basketball coach ... at Illinois, he played football with one of the all-time gridiron greats ... at the Olympics, he became friends with another gold medalist who went on to fame and fortune playing Tarzan in the movies ... and indirectly inspired a kid in Chicago to pursue his own Olympic wrestling dream. So ... why haven't you heard of Morrison? For starters, his gold medal was won 84 years ago. It doesn't help that he wrestled at an out-of-state college ... and that he was left off the Sports Illustrated magazine's100 Greatest Athletes of Iowa list. All the more reasons to get to know Morrison. The Marshalltown mat Bobcat Allie Roy Morrison was born June 29, 1904 in Marshalltown, in the central part of Iowa. According to his only daughter, Bessie Morrison Svehla, Allie was the son of Ethan Allen Morrison, a railroad man, and Sarah Jean Morrison. Bessie described her father Allie as "a shorter version of his father," standing about 5 feet, 5 inches tall. Allie Morrison was a multi-sport athlete at Marshalltown High School, involved in track, football and wrestling. Morrison was undefeated in regular competition as a wrestler, competing at 135 pounds. He was a two-time Iowa high school state champ as a sophomore and junior in the years immediately before the Iowa High School Athletic Association sanctioned the state championships, starting in 1926. Morrison's only loss was as a sophomore, attempting to make the U.S. Olympic wrestling team to compete at the 1924 Olympics in Antwerp. As a high school senior, Morrison was declared ineligible to wrestle because of his age (21). However, that didn't stop him from continuing his involvement with the Marshalltown Bobcat mat program. A young teacher who had just arrived at Marshalltown High from Kansas was given the assignment of coaching the wrestling program. The teacher, Adolph Rupp, had been a basketball star in high school and at the University of Kansas, and knew nothing about wrestling ... so he asked Morrison to coach his former teammates, while Rupp served as the adult advisor to the program and Morrison. The arrangement between Rupp and Morrison worked; the Bobcats won the first-ever official Iowa high school state title in 1926. Rupp -- who went on to fame as head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky from 1930 to 1972, leading the Wildcats to four NCAA titles -- gave full credit to Morrison. At the team's end-of-season awards banquet, Rupp said, "Yes, I was the coach of this team, but I was not the man responsible for our state championship. That man is sitting right over there ..." -- pointing to Allie Morrison. Allie Morrison competed in at least one event as a high school senior -- the 1926 AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) national championships -- where he won his first major title outside his native Iowa. The Iowan becomes a Fighting Illini As expected, Allie Morrison was recruited by the University of Iowa to wrestle for the Hawkeyes ... and there was considerable pressure from his hometown fans to continue his mat career in-state. However, Morrison opted to go to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Why did Morrison choose to be a Fighting Illini instead of a Hawkeye? His only daughter, Bessie, weighed in: "Iowa really wanted him, but Adolph Rupp told him that he had friends at Illinois ... I also think he may have wanted to get away from the state of Iowa." Paul PrehnAnother possible reason: University of Illinois was one of the leading powers in college wrestling at the time, having won the majority of Big Ten team titles in the 1920s. Illini head wrestling coach Paul Prehn was a significant figure in the sport of that era, having authored the 1925 classic how-to-wrestle book, Scientific Methods of Wrestling (which is available for reading online). As head coach, Prehn guided the Fighting Illini to a 47-3 record from 1920-1928. (In 1928, Prehn left his coaching job at U of I to become chairman of the Illinois State Athletic Commission.) At Illinois, Morrison crafted a successful wrestling career, compiling a perfect 22-0 record, and winning the 1928 Big Ten title at 135 pounds at Indiana University in Bloomington. A few weeks later, Morrison chose not to compete in the first-ever NCAA wrestling championships, held at Iowa State in March 1928, instead, choosing to focus on the AAU national championships, where he won his third title. In addition to wrestling at the University of Illinois, Allie Morrison played football for the Fighting Illini. One of his gridiron teammates was yet another sports legend, Red Grange, who was named greatest college football player of all time by ESPN in 2008, and, in 2011, selected Greatest Big Ten Icon by the Big Ten Network. Wedding bells ... then traveling to the 1928 Olympics Weeks after winning his third AAU mat title, Allie Morrison competed at the 1928 U.S. Olympic Trials in Grand Rapids, Mich., winning the event ... and earned a place on the U.S. freestyle Olympic team that would compete at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. Before heading to Europe, Morrison and the other Olympic wrestlers trained at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. On July 11, 1928, the U.S. Olympic athletes boarded the U.S.S. Roosevelt in New York City for the trip to the Netherlands. Allie Morrison was joined by his new bride, the former Ora Bass, his hometown sweetheart who he met at a Halloween costume party their sophomore year. The popular Marshalltown mat star was immediately drawn to the-then 17-year-old who was dressed as a ballerina. Allie Morrison at the 1928 OlympicsEarly in their relationship, Ora's father wasn't impressed with Morrison. John V. Bass, a wealthy local mill owner who founded what is now ConAgra Foods, didn't want his daughter and Morrison to attend the same college ... so he paid for Ora to go to Drake University, knowing the private college in Des Moines was not on the list of schools actively recruiting Morrison. Despite this forced separation, Ora and Allie stayed in touch, and, after one year, Ora left Drake, heading east to Champaign-Urbana to be with her matman boyfriend and encourage him to pursue his dream to wrestle at the 1928 Olympics. (As Bessie Morrison Svehla said in the interview for this article, "Mom said to dad, 'You've got to win the Olympics because I've never been out of Iowa!'") By the time Ora and Allie became husband and wife in 1927, John Bass agreed to treat the young couple to a honeymoon tour of Europe ... with her parents joining them on the adventure. According to grandson Jeff Svehla, Allie's parents were not able to go to Amsterdam because they could not afford the trip. On the mat in Amsterdam Allie Morrison competed in the featherweight bracket at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam in late July and early August. According to the Marshall Times, the Olympic Games used a conventional bracket system, except that wrestlebacks were limited to consolation matches to determine second and third place. A wrestler had to win two of three bouts with an opponent to advance to the next round. And, for the first time, a country could have only one wrestler in each weight class. Kustaa PihlajamakiOn July 30, Morrison drew a bye in the first round ... then, later that day, in the quarterfinals, the Marshalltown native defeated Pierre Bressnick of Belgium to stay in the hunt for gold. The next day, Morrison encountered his first potential roadblock: Kustaa Pihlajamaki of Finland, the prohibitive favorite to win the gold medal in this weight class. After all, Pihlajamaki had won the gold medal at bantamweight at the 1924 Paris Olympics (and go on to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Games). The National Wrestling Hall of Fame describes the Finn as "one of the best European wrestlers of all time." However, as the Marshall Times reported in its 1995 profile of Morrison, "Allie whipped him soundly in two straight matches" in the semifinals. Now the Iowan was to face Hans Minder of Switzerland for the gold medal. In the match on August 1, Morrison defeated Minder to win the gold medal. (Pihlajamaki and Minder wrestled each other to determine their medal status; Pihlajamaki won the match, and the silver medal; Minder got bronze.) 1928 U.S. Olympic TeamAllie Roy Morrison was the only U.S. wrestler to be awarded gold at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. What's more, he was the first American wrestler to earn that honor since the modern Olympics were established in 1896. While in Amsterdam, Morrison met fellow Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller. According to Morrison's grandson Jeff Svehla, Morrison became friends with the famed swimmer who went on to fame and fortune playing Tarzan in a series of movies in the 1930s. Celebration ... then a career cut short Following his triumph at the 1924 Olympics, Allie Morrison was among the U.S. athletes honored with the tradition of a tickertape parade in New York City. There were additional parades across the nation for the Olympic heroes ... and one for Morrison in his hometown of Marshalltown. Morrison returned to University of Illinois to resume his education ... and his wrestling career. However, on March 2, 1929, in a dual meet with the University of Chicago, Morrison broke some of the vertebrae in his neck. According to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Morrison completed the match -- and the rest of his junior year. However, fearing paralysis, doctors urged Morrison to stop wrestling ... so he retired from the mat, but not from the sport. After graduating from Illinois in 1930 with a degree in English and physical education, Morrison moved into coaching, starting his career at Penn State (where daughter Bessie Jane was born, Ora and Allie's only child). However, according to Bessie, the young couple missed their families back in Iowa, so they returned to the Midwest ... specifically, the Omaha area, where they spent the rest of their lives. A coaching career, interrupted by war Allie Morrison coached football and wrestling at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, just outside Omaha. As a coach, Morrison developed a reputation as a tough disciplinarian. In a 1996 interview with the Marshall Times, Bessie shared a story of how her father, thinking that his wrestlers were getting too cocky during an undefeated season, took his team to a nearby supper club for a celebratory steak dinner. As they finished their meal, coach Morrison delivered a speech: "You guys are far too confident, and you're all going to get beat if you don't get back down to earth right away." Morrison promised more strenuous workouts, then delivered the punchline: "Oh, yeah, we're starting tonight. You guys will have to walk back to town because I sent the bus back an hour ago!" The coach then left with his wife in her car. Morrison later left college coaching for the prep ranks, taking a job teaching English at Omaha Central High School ... and taking the reins of the Eagles wrestling program for a decade. In his last four seasons at Central, his wrestlers won four consecutive state team titles from 1939 through 1942. Joe ScarpelloOne of Morrison's most accomplished wrestlers at Central was Joe Scarpello, a three-time Nebraska state champ (1940-1942) who owns the distinction of never having been taken down in high school. Morrison encouraged Scarpello to follow in his own footsteps by participating in the national AAU competition as a senior. However, the coach sent his wrestler to New Orleans with this message: "If you don't win, don't come back." Not a problem; Scarpello won the AAU heavyweight title in 1942. After service in World War II, Scarpello went on to wrestle at University of Iowa, where he became the school's first four-time Big Ten champ (1947-1950), and a three-time NCAA finalist, winning the 175-pound crown in 1947 and 1950. Morrison served in World War II, in the U.S. Navy as a petty officer. According to his daughter, the 5'5" Morrison "had to stand on his tippy-toes to get in." After his military service, Morrison returned to Omaha, where he launched the new wrestling program at what was then called Omaha University -- now University of Nebraska-Omaha, which was an NCAA Division II powerhouse until the program was eliminated at the end of the 2010-2011 season. Morrison coached at Omaha University from 1949-1952. Later, Allie Morrison left coaching to run a tavern. His grandson Jeff Svehla says that Morrison would offer free drinks to anyone who could beat him in arm wrestling ... but no one ever did. Svehla also reported that his grandfather soaked his hands in vinegar to make them tougher. In 1960, Allie Morrison lost the love of his life when his wife Ora passed away unexpectedly in her 50s. Six years later -- on April 18, 1966 -- Morrison died at age 62. His past wrestlers served as his funeral pallbearers. Allie Roy Morrison's legacy lives on. He was welcomed into the Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1977, the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association in 1982, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Athletics Hall of Fame inaugural class in 1996, the Des Moines Register Sports Hall of Fame in 2008, and as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1993. A high school tournament in his hometown of Marshalltown bears his name, the Allie Morrison Duals. Morrison was also credited as being the inspiration for another gold-medal-winning wrestler with Iowa connections: Terry McCann, Big Ten and NCAA champ at the University of Iowa in the mid-1950s who went on to win the gold medal in freestyle at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. McCann, a Chicagoan, claimed he had been inspired to get into wrestling by seeing a photo of Morrison in a magazine. "I was at a candy store and saw a picture of this little guy, Allie Morrison, getting a gold medal for wrestling," McCann told wrestling writer/historian Mike Chapman for his 2006 book, Legends of the Mat. "I was very impressed. I thought he was just a little guy, and that if he could do something so special in sports, so could I. That was the start. I had a vision." A proud daughter fondly remembers her gold-medal dad As the only daughter of Ora and Allie Morrison, Bessie Jane Morrison Svehla has strong memories of her father. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1931, when her father was a coach at Penn State. "He was a very, very strict father," said Morrison Svehla in an interview for this profile. "I couldn't date 'til I was 16." That didn't stop her from fantasizing about the young men who wrestled for her dad. "I went to as many wrestling matches as I could, to see which boys were the cutest," said Morrison Svehla. "I had crushes on some of them. However, dad told me, 'You can't go out with any of them.'" In the 1995 Marshall Times article, Morrison Svehla said, "He said that he knew far too much about each athlete on the squad to let any of them take me out!" That said, Morrison Svehla told InterMat, "I'm very thankful he was strict with me." "I was strong-headed like my dad. I even look like him." "I was like him because of his determined-ness. I think that's why he won the Olympics." When asked if her dad talked about his gold medal, Morrison Svehla said that the Olympic gold medal was on display in a big frame in the dining room ... then, later, when he owned the tavern, he put an Olympic plaque -- but not the gold medal -- on display behind the bar. His daughter told a rather poignant tale of one situation where dad got involved in a presentation of his pinnacle athletic accomplishment: "I was in high school," Morrison Svehla told InterMat. "I mentioned dad was in the Olympics. Some students were doubters. He stood outside the door of a classroom while I showed my class the Olympic medal, as well as his football and track medals, too." Bessie Morrison Svehla isn't the only person to think highly of Allie Morrison. No less a wrestling authority than Cliff Keen weighed in with his assessment of the 1928 Olympic gold medalist. Keen, who wrestled at Oklahoma State in the early 1920s, then served as head wrestling coach at University of Michigan from 1925 to 1970, told Jeff Svehla, "Your grandfather was the most dominant wrestler in the U.S. at the time."