InterMat Staff

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

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The U.S. had no athletes competing in the Sunday night session, which included the repechage and the medal matches on the final day of men’s freestyle at the Junior World Championships. Three of the four U.S. wrestlers competing on Sunday earned a place in their weight classes, scoring team points for the United States, which finished fifth in the team standings. The USA had a gold and silver medalist and a fifth place on Saturday, and was in second in the standings after the first day. Russia won the team title with 62 points, with Azerbaijan in second with 49 points and Iran in third with 46 points. Placing fourth was Georgia with 36 points, edging the USA in fifth with 35 points. Read complete story ...

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- The United States won a pair of medals on the opening day of the men's freestyle at the Junior World Championships, a gold medal from Kyle Snyder (Woodbine, Md./OTC) at 96 kilos/211.5 pounds and a silver medal from Alex Dieringer (Port Washington, Wis./Cowboy WC) at 74 kilos/163 pounds. Kyle Snyder and Alex DieringerSnyder won a wild final over Viktor Kazishvili of Armenia, falling behind early and almost getting pinned, but battling back for an impressive 11-4 technical fall in 4:04. Kazishvili, who was third in the 2013 European Junior Championships, went upper body with Snyder and threw him to his back, almost getting the fall, but the tough American got free, but was trailing 4-1. He started a barrage of takedowns, as well as a turn, to take an 8-4 lead at the break. In the second period, a two-point takedown and a one-point pushout put him at 11-4 for the technical fall victory. Read complete story ...

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The Rutgers wrestling team added Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.) to its 2013 recruiting class, raising the number of incoming freshmen to 12 for the 2013 season. DelVecchio, who was ranked the No. 7 132-pounder by Intermat, is the fourth South Plainfield, N.J. native to join RU in 2013. DelVecchio recorded an unblemished 44-0 record last season at South Plainfield HS en route to a state championship at 132 pounds. DelVecchio also qualified for the tournament in 2010 and 2011. The 132-pounder joins former South Plainfield HS teammates Anthony Ashnault, Dylan Painton and Corey Stasenko as members of the 2013 class. The Scarlet Knights open the season on Nov. 3 at Hofstra. Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. There are three weeks left in the fight to Save Olympic Wrestling, and in review of the year the wrestling community has come together like never before. We've created fundraising organizations, T-shirt campaigns, and letter writing initiatives. The international governing body fired their boss, hired a battalion of bright people and launched a six-month campaign to revise and improve governance. That's a lot of action, almost enough to bring a tear to your eye. Though not always permanent or popular, significant changes have been made. Most, like rules of governance and the hiring of extra staff have had minimal airtime, while other changes, such as the rules and 6-6-6, have received plenty of examination. All were made in the interest of winning over public opinion and the IOC, something that shouldn't fade on Sept. 9. Wrestling has nothing to lose. Nothing. Almost nobody expects a thing from wrestling except a bunch of knuckleheads who love cutting weight, wearing singlets and complaining about the Olympic Games. We are respected, but not beloved; known, but not watched. From a media perspective, it's been my experience that low expectations are perfect for creating attention and traction in popular culture. Let's address a few of the most ingrained assumptions about our sport and then quickly, without a complete autopsy, look at what could be done, in theory to change that thinking. 1. Title IX cuts men's opportunities, especially in men's wrestling. Of all the sports to be consistently singled out by administrations seeking Title IX compliance, only wrestling never enjoyed a companion sport. Now that there are dozens of women's programs, wrestling can emerge as a leader in equal rights for women. Solution: The wrestling community joins together to start a Division I program and fully fund it alongside a long dormant or eliminated program? That would be a PR coup for the school worth millions in advertising, and a net gain for the sport of wrestling. 2. Singlets are the traditional outfit and aren't going anywhere. Singlets are an easy issue with which to be beaten over the head by outside interest. It's equally simple to change. Don't be fooled, people have wrestled for millennia in a range of outifts, and outside of naked oil wrestling, singlets are the least popular option ever employed. Solution: USA Wrestling bans the singlet for all sub-Junior wrestlers. Clothing companies and sports organizations come together to create a rash guard and shorts combination, and the less-bulgy outfit attracts news participants, which swells the numbers in USA Wrestling, and adds more funding to the Olympic program. The clothing companies make millions more and begin selling to consumers who increase the fan base by wearing products at the gym, etc. Coverage of the sport doubles as the outfits make some otherwise awkward photographs more sellable. 3. Wrestling will never be as popular as other mainstream sports. Wrestling is just another of the non-profit sports that nobody understands or cares about, outside of a few cities and states. Solution: Create a league of SIMPLE rules wrestling that focuses more on regional disagreements and the joy of being geographically in support of a squad, and less about the minutia of rules. The new takedown-only style will create an easier access point for sports fans and allow them to discuss, and bet, with ease. This new league and attention then prompts more interest in the sport, which will eventually feed into freestyle and Greco-Roman. These are three quick ideas. The prompt is to start looking at every common assumption as an opportunity for improvement and change -- it's the area where inventions occur and dreams are made reality. If the wrestling community is happy with the status quo they can moan online and complain about rules and the future of the sport, or they can go out into the world and create products that are different and that might influence the future of the sport. Wrestling's future isn't up to the president of FILA or the president of USA Wrestling, it's up to a few individuals who'll stand up and not just nag about the stalemates that occur in wrestling, but find ways to change them. In short, be the change they want to see in the world ... of wrestling Q: So where does Thomas Haines end up? -- @CamoKidz Foley: Great question. Lock Haven? With Scott Moore at the helm of the program they could be on to great things in the near future. And for Haines, who is likely still upset about the situation with Penn State, it'll give him a chance to seek revenge. Ben Whitford won a FILA Junior National title this year (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Q: I hear Ben Whitford is not heading to Michigan. Is this true? If so, where will he end up? -- Raed K. Foley: The unfolding Ben Whitford drama has been the most popular mailbag question of the week, and yet looking around there is little solid and confirmable information. From my conversations I can tell you that it looks very unlikely that Ben will be at a Division I school in 2013, but beyond not enrolling I don't have much information on his plans for the following school year. I was ready to make Ben one of my favorite Division I wrestlers (MATT BROWN!), but it looks like I might have to wait a year, or two. Q: I'm an ex-wrestler from the day and currently a black belt in BJJ. I am currently involved in helping coach high school wrestling. How do you think we begin to make the move away from singlets toward rash guard/shorts? -- Jeff H. Foley: I'd start by asking if they would like to work with you to make a change, but if those earnest attempts fail, just object to wearing them in competition. Create a media storm. Call them obscene, profane, and outside the best interest of the student-athletes. The local organization will capitulate to your demands so long as you have the guts to stick with your side of the argument. Remember that they are wrong and you are right. Singlets are not traditional, and they were not created in the best interest of the wrestlers or the fans. As a fellow BJJ aficionado, I'm trusting you on this one. Go get 'em. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Jordan Burroughs Commercial Pieces that challenge common assumptions and are now extremely popular in today's media: White country band sings Whitney Houston Small-town Kentucky and the issue of gay rights Q: How do you think the USA will do at the Junior World Championships in men's freestyle? -- Josh B. Foley: Decent. I love our team and think it represents our current talent level. However, I've also been fortunate to see some of their competition and have been equally impressed with the young wrestlers from around the world. I've been looking forward to this event for a few months, but will not be able to attend due to a family wedding. My guess is that we get two gold medals and a bronze medal, which will be good enough for second or third place as a team, and a great overall team performance. Q: Is this the year that the Buckeyes can topple Iowa at Big Tens (as Iowa's schedule doesn't feature OSU)? It seems like the Hawkeyes have a revolving door of faceless All-Americans, but the Bucks are experienced, talented, and loaded for bear. It may be a stretch for anyone to knock off Penn State, so I'd like to shoot for Iowa first. -- Curt H. Foley: No. The Buckeyes are losing too many of their top guys, including 2012 All-American Cam Tessari and two-time NCAA qualifier Andrew Campolattano. In addition, two-time All-American Hunter Stieber is expected to redshrirt. Ohio State should be much stronger in 2014-15. Q: When the hell we gonna find out about the 2015 NCAA's? C'mon, Philly! -- Frank C. Foley: Well, we know that Louisville has thrown in their hat, and the NCAA should be releasing a list of cities for the final round of consideration. However, it'll be December before we hear back on the host city and the number of years they've been awarded. I'm all about a new host city for four years, but am not hopeful. The NCAA has plenty to consider, and I don't know that it is anything more than a simple mathematical calculation in terms of dollars spent versus dollars earned. RANT OF THE WEEK! By Tim H. Another contributing factor that no one talks about but also began in the early 70s was youth wrestling. Pee wee programs have resulted in a large number of underclassmen making the varsity squad. Other (team) sports do not tend to have the numbers problem wrestling has because, for the most part, classmates are grouped together: junior high kids play modified, freshman & sophomores play JV, and juniors & seniors play varsity. In many states, wrestling teams kill their modified programs by moving their best kids up to JV and varsity. (PA doesn't do this … that's probably why they're so good.) And in pretty much all states, their JV programs are killed by moving their best freshmen and sophomores up to varsity. When you move the good kids up, and their friends are stuck down on modified and JV, what do you think happens? They quit. When you move a freshman up to fill a varsity weight and he goes 5-30 against mostly older kids, what do you think happens? He quits. Not everybody is going to have a 40-3 record as an eighth-grader. Not everyone was a youth wrestler. We need the kids with losing records to stick it out and get better. What first-year wrestler would join a team that none of his friends are on and put on an embarrassing skin-tight singlet just to get pummeled by kids three or four years his elder? Not many; might as well join the bowling team. We need to replace the tournament classifications (Class AA, Class A, etc.) with age divisions. Instead of classes, wrestling tournaments should be separated by age divisions: 7th & 8th, 9th & 10th, and 11th & 12th. By doing this, you'll see more kids go out for the team because their friends are on the team, and some of them might even turn out to be fine athletes themselves. You'll start to see more freshmen, with zero experience, coming out for teams again as they did in the 1950s and 60s. Also, you can then have a separate set of weight classes for 9/10th grades vs. 11/12th grades, more concentrated in the lightweights for the younger division. (For example, 106 pounds might no longer be a weight class for 11/12th graders but it would be for 9/10th.) Don't get me wrong, I realize teams need to fill holes in their dual meet lineups. The suggestion is to use age divisions only for tournaments. For dual meets, where both JV & varsity typically attend together anyways, still allow underclassmen to fill holes as necessary. In the end, I think that by both (1) eliminating singlets and (2) introducing age divisions, over time, you'll see bigger teams overall and less and less of those holes that need to be filled.

Ryan Blees moved up over 20 spots after winning a Junior National freestyle title (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com) With the conclusion of the ASICS/Vaughan Cadet and Junior National Championships, along with the AAU Junior Olympic Games, the summer offseason has come to a conclusion. On that note, the national grade rankings are being updated. Some wrestlers made a significant move up based on their performance during the offseason tournaments. Among the notable movers were Junior National freestyle champions Michael Pixley (Blue Springs, Mo.) and Ryan Blees (Bismarck, N.D.). Both wrestlers moved up over 20 positions in the Class of 2014 rankings. All five No. 1-ranked wrestlers remain unchanged: Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale, Pa.) is on top of the Class of 2014, Cadet National double champion Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) leads the Class of 2015, Junior National freestyle champion and OW Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) anchors the Class of 2016, Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) is first in the Class of 2017, while Cade Olivas (California) is the top junior high wrestler. InterMat Platinum is required to view all the rankings. Class of 2014 | Class of 2015 | Class of 2016 | Class of 2017 | Class of 2018+ Sneak Peek Below is a sneak peek at the top wrestlers in each grade. Class of 2014 (Top Ten): 1. Chance Marsteller (Kennard Dale, Pa.) 2. Kyle Snyder (Good Counsel, Md.) 3. Bryce Brill (Mount Carmel, Ill.) 4. Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) 5. Jered Cortez (Glenbard North, Ill.) 6. Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas) 7. Micah Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 8. Joey McKenna (Blair Academy, N.J.) 9. Thomas Haines (Solanco, Pa.) 10. Hayden Tuma (Centennial, Idaho) Class of 2015 (Top Five): 1. Lance Benick (Totino-Grace, Minn.) 2. Myles Martin (McDonogh, Md.) 3. Logan Massa (St. Johns, Mich.) 4. Fox Baldwin (Osceola, Fla.) 5. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) Class of 2016 (Top Five): 1. Aaron Pico (St. John Bosco, Calif.) 2. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) 3. Mason Manville (Blair Academy, N.J.) 4. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) 5. Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) Class of 2017 (Top Five): 1. Spencer Lee (Franklin Regional, Pa.) 2. Brady Berge (Kasson-Mantorville, Minn.) 3. Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei, Ind.) 4. Yianni Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.) 5. Daton Fix (Sand Springs, Okla.) Class of 2018+ (Top Five): 1. Cade Olivas (California) 2. Ryan Thomas (Ohio) 3. Anthony Madrigal (Illinois) 4. Jake Ryan (California) 5. Gavin Teasdale (Pennsylvania)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, announced the Buckeyes' 2013-14 schedule Thursday. "The schedule this year will challenge and prepare our student-athletes for the brutality of the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments," Ryan, who is entering his eighth season as head coach of the Buckeyes, said. "We are also proud to bring the National Duals to Columbus for the excitement of the many die-hard wrestling fans in this great wrestling state. We look forward to many great home crowds this season as we were third nationally in home attendance the past two years." Season Tickets Season tickets for new accounts and renewals will be on sale soon. Fans interested in becoming a season ticket holder can contact the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Sales Department at 1-800-GOBUCKS (select option 2) or AthleticSales@osu.edu for pricing, details and information. Information on season ticket renewals, single-match tickets and the National Duals will be available at a later date. Check back to OhioStateBuckeyes.com for updated information. The 2014 NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals highlights Ohio State's home schedule. The Buckeyes will serve as host of the prestigious two-day and 16 team event Feb. 16-17. Teams scheduled to wrestle at the Columbus site will be determined at a later date. The 2013-14 schedule features six home events, including two off-campus matches. Ohio State will host Northwestern at a site to be determined Jan. 17 and Michigan State in Perry, Ohio, Feb. 7. The Buckeyes will face three teams that finished in the Top 10 at the 2013 NCAA Championships, including three-time defending champion Penn State Dec. 15 to open Big Ten Conference competition. Ohio State also will face Illinois, who was a ninth-place finisher at nationals in 2013, Jan. 12. The matches against the Nittany Lions and Illini are on the road. Finishing 10th at the NCAA championships after winning the ACC Tournament title this past March, Virginia Tech travels to Columbus for a Feb. 23 matchup. The 2013-14 competition schedule begins Oct. 17 when Ohio State competes in the annual Varsity Wrestle-off in French Field House, which is the adjacent building just west of St. John Arena. Following the All-Star Meet at George Mason Nov. 2 and a pair of open tournaments - Clarion Open (Nov. 3) and Michigan State Open (Nov. 9) - the Buckeyes kick off the dual season Nov. 15 hosting Notre Dame College. Ohio State hits the road for seven consecutive matches and/or events, including the annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Wrestling Invitational Dec. 6-7. The Buckeyes are the two-time defending champions. The road stretch begins at Duke Nov. 23, followed by the Davidson Duals Nov. 24. After an attempt at securing their third-consecutive Vegas invite title, the Scarlet and Gray open their conference schedule at Penn State Dec. 15. Closing out the 2013 portion of its schedule, Ohio State travels to Kent, Ohio, for an in-state match vs. Kent State Dec. 19. After the turn of the New Year, the Buckeyes return to conference action at Wisconsin Jan. 10 and at Illinois Jan. 12. For the first time in almost two months, the Scarlet and Gray will host a dual match, but not in Columbus. The Buckeyes welcome Northwestern Jan. 17. Ohio State returns to its roots in St. John Arena Jan. 24 when it faces Nebraska. The following week, Jan. 31, the Buckeyes host Michigan. Traveling for the final time in the regular season, Ohio State wrestles Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., Feb. 3. In continued Big Ten action, the Buckeyes host Michigan State in Perry, Ohio, Feb. 7 before hosting the National Duals Feb. 16-17. The regular season wraps up vs. the Hokies with the Big Ten championships commencing the postseason. The 2014 edition of the conference championships will take place in Madison, Wis., March 8-9. The much-anticipated NCAA championships are March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Ohio State finished sixth in 2013 with 59.5 points behind Logan Stieber's second-consecutive national title at 133 pounds and third and fifth-place finishes by Hunter Stieber (141 pounds) and Nick Heflin (174 pounds), respectively. 2013-14 Ohio State Wrestling Schedule Date Opponent/Event Time Thurs.,Oct. 17 Varsity Wrestle-off1 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 2 All-Star Meet2 TBD Sun., Nov. 3 Clarion Open3 All Day Sat., Nov. 9 Michigan State Open4 All Day Fri., Nov. 15 vs. Notre Dame College 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 23 at Duke 1 p.m. Sun., Nov. 24 at Davidson Duals at Davidson 1 p.m. vs. George Mason TBD Fri.-Sat., Dec. 6-7 CKLV Wrestling Invite5 All Day Sun., Dec. 15 at Penn State 2 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 19 at Kent State 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. Sun., Jan. 12 at Illinois 3 p.m. Fri., Jan. 17 vs. Northwestern6 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 24 vs. Nebraska 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 31 vs. Michigan 7 p.m. Mon., Feb. 3 at Purdue 7 p.m. Fri., Feb. 7 vs. Michigan State7 7 p.m. Sun.-Mon., Feb. 16-17 NWCA National Duals8 All Day Sat.-Sun., March 8-9 Big Ten Championships9 All Day Thurs.-Sat., March 20-22 NCAA Championships10 All Day 1French Field House; 2George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.; 3Clarion University, Clarion, Pa.; 4Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.; 5Las Vegas; 6TBD; 7Perry, Ohio; 8St. John Arena; 9Madison, Wis.; 10Oklahoma City, Okla. All times are Eastern.

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Erin Golston (Lake In The Hills, Ill./NYAC/USOEC) won a silver medal at 44 kilos/97 pounds on the first day of women’s freestyle at the Junior World Championships on Thursday. Erin GolstonGolston jumped to an early lead, but was defeated in the finals by Emilia Budeanu of Moldova, 10-7. In the first period, Golston was in control, scoring a three-point and two-point move on the way to a 7-2 lead. However, in the second period, Budeanu rallied back with three-point and two-point moves of her own to tie it at 7-7. With 40 seconds left, Budeanu scored a two-point takedown on a duckunder for a 9-7 lead. She added an additional point on a defensive takedown with 14 seconds to go for the 10-7 margin. Golston has now won three Junior World medals in her four trips to the event, also winning bronze medals in 2011 and 2012. She did not earn a placement in her first Junior Worlds in 2010. Read complete story ...

It's finally here, folks! UFC on FOX Sports 1 has arrived. Richard and John break down the fight card and congratulate Lew Polley on breaking a record at last weekend's WSOF without even stepping into the cage. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

Aaron Pico is the nation's top-ranked sophomore wrestler. This past season as a high school freshman at St. John Bosco (Calif.), Pico went a perfect 42-0 en route to winning a CIF state championship. In December he won the Walsh Ironman title and finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally at 132 pounds. Pico has continued his dominance on the mat through the spring and summer. He won FILA Junior National titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman and was the Outstanding Wrestler in the FILA Cadet National freestyle competition. He also came out victorious in the Junior National folkstyle and freestyle competitions, earning Outstanding Wrestler honors in freestyle. Pico will wrestle at the Cadet World Championships in Serbia on August 20-25. InterMat talked to Pico about his accomplishments, coaches, training, goals, MMA, and more. Aaron Pico defeated Joey Ward to win a FILA Junior National title (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Most wrestling fans know you as the high school freshman who beat an NCAA qualifier. How did you feel after beating Joey Ward at the FILA Junior Nationals this past spring? Pico: I honestly didn't know who he was going into the match. I looked him up on the Internet and saw that he wrestled for UNC, but I didn't know he was an NCAA qualifier. I took a shot and scored pretty easily, which gave me confidence to keep attacking and wrestle my match. I felt good about the win. You win a lot. What's the most important match of your career? Pico: The Dean Heil loss at Super 32 was the most important match of my career so far. It stung after that loss and it really fueled me to come back at Ironman. It fueled me every day because I knew I could be the best in the country. Every day I was saying, 'I'm the No. 1 wrestler in the country ... No. 1 in the country ... No. 1 in the country.' Every day. I'm a freshman, but it's still my goal to be the very best wrestler in the country and soon the world. Losing to Heil is what helped me take a leap in progressing as a wrestler. I wanted to wrestle him again, but he lost in Ironman semifinals to (Micah) Jordan. Aaron Pico was named OW in the Junior National freestyle competition (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)You're only 16, but fast becoming wrestling's 'next big thing.' How did you get into wrestling? Pico: My older brother used to race go-karts and part of the uniform was wrestling shoes. My dad looked into where to buy them and started to think that I could be a good wrestler. I was a little smaller at the time and he thought it made sense. Since then it's been the only sport I really love. My family is really tight. Our favorite thing to do is just hang out with each other and have barbeques. He's always kind of treated me like his son first. He wants me to be passionate and work hard, but he doesn't get mad if I lose, or yell or manage me, or anything. I love wrestling. I love technique and drilling and lifting and obviously competing. He just helps me make sure that I have the best coaches possible so that I can achieve my goals. If I wanted to play tennis, he'd try to find me the best tennis coach in the country. He's that type of guy, you know? Speaking of coaches, who heads up your training? Pico: I have a high school coach that I work out with, but primarily I train with Valentin Kalika. He knows how to get the most out of me and he has all these crazy techniques. I also see a strength coach a few times a week which really helps. Aaron Pico has MMA aspirations after his wrestling career (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)What about MMA? There are videos of you throwing your hands like a young Mayweather. Pico: MMA and boxing I'll definitely do after my wrestling career, trying to make 2016, and depending how everything goes with the #SaveOlympicWrestling movement, maybe 2020. That would be my peak, and I'm trying to make that team. MMA and fighting is my future, but first I want to win World and Olympic championships. I'm definitely going to be wrestling and trying to win championships. Plus I'd be too young. I'm still a little boy coming out of high school. These are men! You're dealing with a different thing than wrestling. You're dealing with a different type of sport. I definitely want to go into MMA, but wrestling in the Olympics is my goal. This is my first passion. I know it's not easy to make money from wrestling, But when the time comes I'll be prepared. I can't wait. Aaron Pico won by technical fall over New Jersey's Joey McKenna in the Junior National freestyle finals at 138 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)You suffered a broken elbow. What did you learn from that experience? Pico: I was wrestling and posted during a throw in the practice room. It sucked because I was really looking forward to those tournaments and I wasn't able to go. But I also learned a lot, because needed to rest my body, and I realized how important rest was to my career. It was a wakeup call for me and my body. There is this one hill that I run now that is right by house. I was hurt and I wasn't looking for a workout. I was just walking, but then I saw this thing and thought it might be a good workout. When I began feeling a little better I started running that hill every day. It's so hard! I get nervous just going to that thing. I know what I have to go through before I leave the house, so in that way it's kinda like a wrestling match, so it's good. That's why my conditioning is so good. The goal is to be on the 2016 Olympic Team. That'll be the same summer as your high school graduation, right? Pico: I'm taking extra courses right now so that I can graduate in 2015 and I'm taking some online course right now through a national university. It's an English class. After Cadet Worlds I'm doing all international stuff. That's my main focus ... freestyle. It's a must for me. So I'm taking the first semester off, but also trying to get more credits so that I can graduate in 2015 and have a full year to train. Aaron Pico gets his hand raised after winning the CIF state title at 132 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Do you expect to miss the high school experience? Pico: I love Bosco. I love that school. But I have a unique opportunity to travel the world and be able to compete at the world level. No offense to Bosco but it's tough to do that, to compete for a World title from only the high school room. It's incredible, and I'm lucky that I'm going to go off and see other countries and wrestling as the highest level. I have a unique opportunity and I have to take advantage of that. Are you a little older for your grade? Pico: I'll be 17 years old on Sept. 23. I did stay back in seventh grade because my test scores weren't where they needed to be and I don't think I was going to be mature going to high school. I'm glad I got that year to let my body grow and get my test scores up. And yes, I'd be eligible to compete senior season. So what makes you better than other guys your age? Pico: I love wrestling. I'm always excited about going to practice and learning new moves and trying new things. My support system gets whatever I need and they help me learn whatever I need. Valentin believes in me and I believe in him and I do everything Doc Kreis, my strength and conditioning coach, says. He's a big part of my strength. I see him five times a week. I've become a good wrestler, but I need a lot more work for what I want to do. I don't think I have a big head. I need to improve a lot before I can compete on the big level, and just focus on progressing. You're never too good. But again a lot of it has to do with my family. I always have my dad, brothers, mom and others and it's just fun. It's all fun for me. Of course it's serious, but it's a fun journey. My family is super close and that's what helps me relax and push through. You know it's funny because my grandpa drives me to practice most days. He's retired and lives with us and he'll get up at like 4:45 a.m. most days and take me wherever I need to go. (Pico laughs) How many grandparents take their kids out? Aaron Pico topped Micah Jordan to win the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Rob Preston)But does that mean you're primed for burnout? Pico: No! I love wrestling. I love the challenge. I'm not lying when I say it's fun. But do you have a personal life? Pico: Yes! I go to the movies. I go out with friends. It's not often, but it's mainly wrestling-type stuff. But like I said my family is so tight and we like playing basketball and doing other stuff. My social life is definitely not lacking. I get together with my friends and go shopping at the mall, and hang out, but it's always short because I'm getting ready for tournaments. I don't go out and party or anything like that. I'm not into that scene. I also love going to Dodger games. I love any LA teams.

Sam StollSOFIA, Bulgaria -- Sam Stoll (Kasson, Minn./Minnesota Storm) stormed back after a semifinal loss to win a bronze medal at 120 kilos/264.5 pounds in Greco-Roman at the Junior World Championships on Wednesday. Stoll secured a body lock, threw and pinned Behnam Shajaeiaghadam of Iran in the first period of their bronze-medal bout, ending the match at 2:15. It was the first medal for the USA at the Junior Worlds this year. Read complete story ...

STILLWATER --– Oklahoma State sophomore wrestlers Alex Dieringer and Austin Marsden will represent Team USA once again at the Junior World Championships, this time in Sofia, Bulgaria. Dieringer is set to wrestle on Saturday, and Marsden will compete on Sunday. Competition on both days is set to begin at 1 a.m. CT. Their draws will be announced later this week. The pair earned spots on the Junior World Team in front of a home crowd at Gallagher-Iba Arena at the World Team Trials back in June. After a successful freshman season that saw him place third at 157 pounds at the NCAA Championships, Dieringer breezed through his bracket to take home the 74 kilogram title, including two convincing wins over Dylan Palacio in a best-of-three championship series. Marsden, who took a redshirt for the most recent NCAA season, showed off with a five-point throw in his opening match and finished the tournament with two bonus-point wins over Adam Coon in the 120 kg finals. Last year, the two competed at the Junior World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, where Dieringer split a pair of bouts, while Marsden loss his only match of the tournament. Fans can view the action live from the FILA Facebook page or receive updates by following @USAWrestling on Twitter.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Steve Fittery has been named the new assistant wrestling coach at Lock Haven University. Fittery, a former standout collegiate wrestler at both Shippensburg University and American University, has had recent collegiate coaching stints at both the University of Maryland and American. LHU head coach Scott Moore is very excited about the addition of Fittery to the staff. "I am extremely excited about Steve (Fittery) coming on board here at Lock Haven as an assistant coach. He will be a great role model for our team and will lead by example on a daily basis," said Moore. "His achievements in wrestling and academics truly speak for his competitive nature. He has worked with some great coaches in Mark Cody and Kerry McCoy over the last couple seasons and has some great ideas for building the future of LHU wrestling. Steve is a professional in every aspect of life and will make an immediate impact on our program in both recruiting, development and fundraising." LHU Director of Athletics, Mark Sherburne echoed Moore's excitement. "We are very excited to have Steve (Fittery) join our wrestling program as an assistant coach," said Sherburne. "The success that Steve has been able to attain throughout his wrestling career, as both, a student-athlete and a young coach, will be a tremendous asset to the advancement of our student-athletes and wrestling program. He is a hard worker, tremendous competitor, outstanding teacher and clinician and well respected among his peers and colleagues. During the 2012-13 season, Fittery was on Maryland's staff and helped lead three Terps to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) individual championships. This past season, Maryland had one All-American and finished 27th at the 2013 NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Fittery, a 2011 graduate of American University coached at his alma mater during the 2011-12 season. During the season, he helped lead two American Eagles to All-American status. American finished 19th at the 2012 NCAA Championships and took a program-best, third-place at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships during that same season. Fittery earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics & Secondary Education from American in 2011. While at American, Fittery enjoyed a standout career both academically and athletically. At American, Fittery was a two-time All-American finishing third in 2011 and fifth in 2010. He was named the American University Male Athlete of the Year in 2011. Fittery was the 2011 EIWA Champion and a two-time Midlands Champion. Prior to his career at American, Fittery spent several seasons at Shippensburg. While competing for the Red Raiders, he was a two-time NCAA Division II National Runner-up. He was named the Shippensburg Freshman-Athlete of the Year in 2007 and the Shippensburg Male-Athlete of the Year in 2008. He was the 2008 PSAC Champion and was a two-time East Region Champion. Most impressive, Fittery was a four-time First Team Academic All-American during his career as a student-athlete at both Shippensburg and American. Having spent time coaching at the collegiate level, Fittery also brings with him a strong camp and youth coaching background. During High School, Fittery was a two-time Pennsylvania state place-winner at Cocalico. Fittery is thankful for this new opportunity and is looking forward to the future. "I'm thankful to Scott (Moore) and LHU for this opportunity and I'm committed to helping Lock Haven continue its strong wrestling tradition," said Fittery. "Coach Moore has big goals for the program and has a relentless work ethic to make them happen. I'm pumped to be a part of it and for all the exciting things happening here at LHU."

Related: Schedule COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A return trip to Madison Square Garden to participate in the Grapple at the Garden and a trip to Ann Arbor to face future Big Ten rival Michigan highlight the University of Maryland wrestling team’s 2013-14 schedule, which head coach Kerry McCoy announced on Wednesday. After facing Nebraska and Ohio State in the inaugural Grapple at the Garden last year, the Terps are scheduled to match up with Cornell and Rutgers at this year’s event. Maryland will also travel to Stanford as part of a west coast trip that also includes the Roadrunner Open at CSU Bakersfield. The Terrapins schedule features notable local showdowns against American and Navy, along with their New Year’s trip to Northwestern for the Midlands Championships. The home slate includes the annual Terrapin Duals (Alderson-Broaddus, Johns Hopkins, Kutztown) along with duals against American, Duke, NC State, Penn and Pittsburgh. "The schedule is a good mix of traditional opponents and new competition along with some exciting trips," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "We have our traditional ACC and local rivalries, and in preparation for our transition to the Big Ten we have Michigan on the schedule. "I think it will challenge our guys, but if we do what we are capable of doing it will be a very successful year." Maryland unofficially opens its 2013-14 campaign with the Red and Black Wrestle-Offs on Oct. 27 in preparation for the Terrapin Duals on Nov. 3. The Terps will square off against Alderson-Broaddus, Johns Hopkins and Kutztown in the season-opening event. Following a week off, the Terps head to Stanford to grapple with the Cardinal on Nov. 16 and wrestle in the Roadrunner Open the following day. Maryland returns home just before Thanksgiving and welcomes Penn to Comcast Pavilion (Nov. 22) before heading to New York City to wrestle the Big Red and Scarlet Knights at the Grapple at the Garden (Dec. 1). The Terps wrestle in their final home meet of 2013 against Pittsburgh on Dec. 6. After a break for finals and the Christmas holiday, the Terps head to Evanston, Ill., for the prestigious Midlands Championships. The two-day event (Dec. 29-30) features several of the nation’s top teams and wrestlers. Maryland opens 2014 with five consecutive road dual meets beginning with Michigan (Jan. 5). One week later, the Terps travel to Navy (Jan. 11) following by their ACC opener against Virginia Tech (Jan. 19). The road trip concludes with a dual at North Carolina (Jan. 24) and at Virginia (Jan. 31). Maryland has the first of three consecutive home meets against Duke on Feb. 8 and continues the homestand against NC State on Feb. 14. The Terps play host to the Battle of the Beltway against American on Feb. 16 in the final home dual of the season before closing the regular season at George Mason on Feb. 20. Virginia Tech plays host to the ACC Championships in Blacksburg on March 8. The NCAA Championships are set for March 20-22 in Oklahoma City.

It will take me a long time to come to terms with the recent International Olympic Committee decision to implement its 6-6-6 plan with weight classes across the Olympic wrestling styles. While I may eventually come to terms with it, I'll never get over it. Sometimes I curse the fact that I love wrestling so much. The sport treats its fans almost as callously as it treats its athletes. Sometimes I wonder if I write about a sport caught in the pull of some tragic Sophoclean destiny, unable to turn from the path of its own inevitable demise at, essentially, its own hand. Breaking the hearts of boys and girls To briefly explain the 6-6-6 plan, prior to the IOC decision, Olympic wrestling featured seven weight classes in men's freestlye, seven in Greco-Roman, and four in women's freestyle. The IOC has taken a weight class from each of the two men's styles and added them to women's freestyle. International Olympic Committee headquartersObviously, this limits the number of medal opportunities for men in Olympic wrestling. Since 1996, men's wrestling has lost forty percent of its weight classes. If wrestling gets voted back into the Olympics this September, which seems likely, and avoids its immediate demise, I am not sure it can stop the incremental death being visited upon it. This decision dealt a blow to women's wrestling as well. While in the short term, obviously the decision increased the number of women's weight classes. In the long term, however, it limits the number of weight classes. This decision tethers the number of women's freestyle wrestling weight classes to the dwindling number of men's weight classes. Beware of the IOC bearing gifts. Watching women's wrestling grow every year both in the number of participants and the sophistication of technique, I had high hopes for its growth as an Olympic sport. I looked forward to the day when women's freestyle would continue to obtain more weight classes on the Olympic level to the point where it would have added as to be equal with men's freestyle. This will never be the case. With the 6-6-6 plan, the IOC has clearly stated that it will not add weight classes to Olympic wrestling; instead they will only redistribute them. The IOC decision has reduced wrestling weight classes to a zero-sum game, and when you play this kind of game, nobody can win without someone else losing, and even worse, the overall level of prosperity The myth of imperative proportionality I understand that the IOC still thinks the 6-6-6 plan as unequal, after all, twelve men's weight classes remain as opposed to only six for women. This sort of thinking of shows a remarkable lack of consistency on the part of the IOC, which throughout the Olympic program recognizes that sexual proportionality is not, and should not be an imperative. A quick look at the Olympic program reveals an events list redolent with sexual disproportions in sports which favor both sexes. Favoring men: The Olympics includes no women's analogue event in all canoe events, three shooting events, one weightlifting weight class, 50-kilometer walk, seven boxing weight classes, one men's gymnastics event, two rowing events, four-man bobsled, all Nordic combined events and, all ski-jumping events. Favoring women: The Olympics includes no men's analogue event in all rhythmic gymnastics events, all synchronized swimming events, and three swimming events. These discrepancies should not act as evidence of some sort of inequity. I believe that some women's sports do not demand a men's analogue, and some men's sports do not demand a women's analogue. Based on the structure of the Summer and Winter Olympic programs, the IOC agrees with me, except, perplexingly, when it comes to wrestling. Solving the number of athletes problem The press release for the IOC 6-6-6 decision mentioned that weight classes were deducted from men's wrestling while being added to women's as a means of not running afoul of the arbitrarily established maximum number of athletes who may compete in the Olympics. If the IOC really wanted to help wrestling while keeping the number of overall athlete down, it could have done two things. First, they could have not added a team sport like sevens rugby to the program. The sport of rugby, in all its forms, seems like an odd fit in the Olympics to begin with, but the size of its teams demand the addition of a substantial number of athletes to the games. Second, they could have redistributed wrestlers to new women's weight classes. Current weight classes contain, on average, nineteen wrestlers. If you just took two wrestlers from each men's weight class, you would have freed up enough room to establish two new women's weight classes without having to eliminate a men's weight class. That last point I find particularly troubling. That solution seems so obvious. Certainly it occurred to the IOC. I can't imagine why they would not use that option. The fact that the qualifiers could have been easily distributed, and that the rest of the Olympic program sits filled with massive amounts of proportional representation among the sexes makes me suspect that the act of taking two weight classes from men was simply a punitive measure, and part of a pattern of hostile behavior the IOC has manifested against wrestling for a long time. I love Olympic wrestling, if only the Olympics loved it too.

SPALA, Poland -- The United States won three bronze medals in men's freestyle on the opening day of the Ziolkowski Memorial International on Saturday. Read complete story ...

Seven United States wrestlers won gold at the 2013 FILA Cadet Greco-Roman Pan American Championships, pacing the USA to the team title Friday, August 9 in Medellin, Colombia. The USA finished with 92 team points beating out Venezuela, 73, and Colombia, 69. 2013 Fargo double champions Daton Fix and Mason Manville won titles at 50 kilos and 69 kilos respectively. Christian Jenco at 100 kilos, Kaden Gfeller at 42 kilos, Paul Bianchi at 46 kilos, Kaid Brock at 54 kilos and Robert Steveson at 85 kilos also won weight class titles for the USA. Read complete story ...

SPALA, Poland -- American Alyssa Lampe won a gold medal, and U.S. wrestlers Victoria Anthony and J.D. Bergman earned bronze medals in international events here on Sunday. Lampe won the Poland Open championship in women’s freestyle at 48 kilos/105.5 pounds while Anthony took bronze in the same weight class. Lampe and Anthony are 2013 U.S. World Team members. Read complete story ...

Steve Martin

MOSCOW -- Women's wrestling will have two extra medal classes at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, while two men's events from the London Olympics program have been dropped. The International Olympic Committee says one weight category in both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman will be transferred to women’s freestyle. The switch creates six weight classes in all three disciplines at Rio. Wrestling's governing body, FILA, proposed the changes to create more equality as it seeks to retain Olympic status for the 2020 Summer Games. The IOC says its board also approved two changes in sailing: mixed multihull will replace men’s keelboat in Rio and women's skiff replaces women's match racing. The IOC allowed the changes because they won’t increase the number of athletes competing. Rio organizers have a quota of about 10,800 athletes.

TEMPE -- President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint former Arizona State University wrestling standout Anthony Robles to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, the White House Office of the Press Secretary announced via press release on Thursday. Robles is currently an NCAA Wrestling Analyst and Expert at ESPN. Born with only one leg, Robles won the 2010-2011 NCAA individual wrestling championship in the 125-pound weight class, and was a three-time all-American. His awards include NCAA Best Wrestler of the National Tournament in 2011, the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPN ESPYs, and the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. Robles earned his B.A. in business communications in 2011. Following his graduation, Robles took up a career in motivational speaking, travelling across the country to share his story of perseverance in the face of his handicap. The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition was formerly the President’s Council on Physical Fitness but was renamed by Obama in 2010 with a new emphasis on nutrition as an element of fitness. The American government organization aims to “promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sport”. It is part of the Office of Public Health and Science, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The council is currently made up of co-chars Drew Brees and Dominique Dawes with councilmembers that include Dan Barber, Carl Edwards, Allyson Felix, Dr. Jayne Greenberg, Grant Hill, Billie Jean King, Michelle Kwan, Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Moure, Cornell McClellan, Dr. Stephen McDonough, Chris Paul, Curtis Pride, Donna Richardson Joyner and Dr. Ian Smith.

BadgerStateWrestling.com's Shane Sparks catches up with Teague Moore and talks to him about Tour ACW, which debuts on Oct. 20 in Pittsburgh. Listen to interview on BadgerStateWrestling.com.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? Access archives. If you're a wrestling fan and have seen these images, then you've likely broken a glass in anger or kicked a swan in frustration. The Oregon Ducks last week released images from their new football training facility, to which they've given the dry name, The Football Performance Center. Perhaps there is no introduction more telling of the facilities gratuitous abundance than the opening paragraph written by New York Times reporter Greg Bishop:The Football Performance Center at the University of Oregon features rugs woven by hand in Nepal, couches made in Italy and Brazilian hardwood underfoot in the weight room that is so dense, designers of this opulent palace believe it will not burn.Wrestling fans don't need to be reminded that the Ducks wrestling program was eliminated in July of 2007 due to the budget constraints brought on from the addition of a baseball program and competitive cheer (which has yet to be recognized as a scholarship-bearing Division I sport). Some in the wrestling community pushed the blame on Title IX, but the equality of women is just a scapegoat for what is a larger and much more pervasive problem: Football and amateurism. While wrestling and other sports scratch for a few extra fans, the NCAA works tirelessly to ensure that the culture of football and profiteering endures past every substantial lawsuit, concerning piece of concussion research, and seemingly bi-weekly amateurism scandal. Despite the growing sentiment that football is corrupt and unhealthy, the NCAA preaches it as a gospel of Americana and schools line up to give their benedictions. How else can one explain a cathedral built for the cause of enslavement? Too harsh? Just read the quote left by Walt Byers, the father of the modern NCAA, in regards to modern amateurism in his book Unsportsmanlike Conduct:Today the NCAA Presidents Commission is preoccupied with tightening a few loose bolts in a worn machine, firmly committed to the neo-plantation belief that the enormous proceeds from college games belong to the overseers (administrators) and supervisors (coaches). The plantation workers performing in the arena may only receive those benefits authorized by the overseers.Why isn't that quote splashed across the entryway to Oregon's $70 million, 145,000 square foot facility? You'd think it would at least fit on one of the 250 televisions. Wrestling can't compete with Brazilian hard wood floors and rooms devoted to video games for athletes. We aren't big enough and never will be. However, we are well proportioned to score PR victories by changing our sport in unexpected and progressive ways. Our solution isn't to raise $70 million for a building that gets pages worth of negative and snarky reviews. Our answer comes in raising $5 million to start the NCAA's first Division I women's wrestling program, or eliminating singlets, getting rid of the weight-cutting culture, or improving our competition schedule. These aren't just winning arguments and slick press releases; these are the changes that need to be made for the betterment of the sport and the next generation of wrestlers. Miss this chance and we'll be the quack jobs. To your questions ... Q: What happened to Ryen Nieman and Jamie Clark? Both were big recruits a few years back. -- @Rhino184 Foley: Ryen Neiman isn't on the roster at Indiana University and the last time he seemed to compete was the intrasquad competition at the start of 2011. His career is over. Jamie Clark was at Kent State for a spell in 2012, but felt better in a teaching capacity and lives in the area helping out and running camps. Q: What is the toughest state to win an individual high school state championship in and why? How tough do you think California's State Championships compare to other states? -- Gregg Y. CIF wrestling medal (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Foley: California, based on the number of competitors placed within a single division, is the toughest state tournament in the country. Though Pennsylvania is a "better" wrestling state in almost every metric, it is much easier for a wrestler there to win a state title given that there is more opportunity and fewer competitors. There has only been ONE four-time California state champion (Darrell Vasquez), which should give you some indication about the quality of the athlete that shows up to the tournament every season. The quality isn't just because there are solid programs, but the top-flight individuals from small schools -- who in Ohio or Virginia might wrestle in one of the many divisions -- gets a chance at competitors from better programs in bigger schools. Again, I think Pennsylvania is the best wrestling state, but California has the toughest state tournament to win. Q: How do think Alexander Karelin would've done in MMA in light of how dominant he was internationally in Greco-Roman wrestling? And what's your opinion on the Rulon Gardener win over Karelin? Basically did Rulon Gardner win on a technicality due to the rules vs. if they kept wrestling Karelin would've figured out a way to win? -- Marcus R. Foley: Alexander Karelin is successful at everything he attempts. Poetry? The man. Duma? Elected. Leader of Mother Russia? Hasn't tried ... yet. Mixed martial arts wouldn't have been a problem for Karelin. As a big guy he'd have less worry about grappling, and with his obscene size, genius-level intellect and ferocious competitive style he'd have been one of the top five heavyweights of all time. There is no argument for why he'd be less-than-impressive. As for the match with Rulon Gardner, Karelin was the unfortunate victim of terrible rules that awarded Gardner a point after the Russian lost a coin flip and briefly unlocked hands his hands. Were the rules like they are right now, you can imagine that Karelin would have earned the first point from passivity and been in control the rest of the match. I'm American, but all my passwords include the word "karelin." Alexander KarelinThere is a story, possibly apocryphal, about Juan Antonio Samaranch watching the Karelin-Gardner match. Apparently, Samaranch had shown up to the finals thinking, like most people, that Karelin would easily beat the doughy American kid. He was undefeated in 13 years, and by all accounts part-cyborg. Samaranch loved attention, and in an effort to see more flash bulbs had planned to bestow a special award on Karelin after the match. The Russian was about to become the first wrestler in the world to ever win the gold medal at four Olympic Games which meant plenty of good press for the Olympic movement. Samaranch is up in the VIP box watching the match, and to his eye all looks good for the Russian. Sure there is cheering and a brief loudspeaker explanation of breaking grips, but Samaranch was busy prepping the speech as it was a fact that Karelin couldn't lose. The match is tied at the end of the first three-minute period which shows that Karelin is responsible for action within 30 seconds. He ends up unclasping his hands and gives up a point. Three more minutes pass, regulation ends and it's 1-0 Gardner, but as the rules states overtime was to occur. Samaranch, who is half paying attention, doesn't know who is winning, but is so steadfast in the certainty of events that he begins the walk to the floor greet Karelin. He's arguably the greatest leader in the history of the Olympic movement, so he can be excused if he wants to be part of history. Just before he goes full-steam, some of his aides inform him that Karelin hadn't won, but instead had lost during the prolonged hugging bout. When the aides tried to explain why Karelin had lost, Samaranch couldn't follow and in a tizzy storms out of the building, flinging unkind words about our beloved sport as he left the building. Samaranch was happy to know that there was an upset, but for a man whose job it was to present an athletic event to the world, it was as stain on wrestling that even he couldn't understand the winners and losers. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Seriously, he's a bad dude. Still love this one ... Interesting. I'd be careful about making this the centerpiece of any argument, but there is a powerful perspective to be heard from the Caucuses. Q: What do you think of the NWCA All-Star Classic moving to George Mason? -- Andy R. Foley: The Patriot Center holds a lot more fans, which could be incredible if there are matches that wrestling fans will travel to watch in person. Should the NWCA and its partners keep working to improve the quality of the event, including high-quality promotional videos and marquee matchups, then it is possible that the crowds could rival what we saw last year at American University. The NWCA and hosts of the event need to make this about more than just the college kids selected to attend. By creating annual programming outside of the two-hour event, like the dinners and clinics, there is a good chance it could become an annual can't-miss event for wrestling fans in the region. Q: In my opinion Logan Storley will be the next collegiate wrestler to be a stand out in MMA. He has all the skills? What do you think? -- Gregg Y. Foley: Sure! There's no questioning his toughness or wrestling ability. The big test will come in his ability to learn jiu-jitsu and striking. Can't win a fight with wrestling if you take a shin to live, or get your arm snapped off by a Brazilian limb-hunter. Q: Five of the seven U.S. World Team members were in the U.S. lineup that was beaten in rather dominant fashion by Iran at Grand Central Station in May. All five of those wrestlers lost to their Iranian opponents. Do you think this might predict a disappointing overall U.S. showing in the upcoming World Championships? Or do you think this will prove to be part of the learning process, with the American wrestlers peaking at the right time in September? -- Mark R. Foley: Most Americans believe that FILA's new rules benefit American freestyle wrestlers by eliminating period-based strategies based in positioning, and rewarding constant action and conditioning. I'd agree. And since the rules changed after the Rumble on the Rails, we should be, overall, in a better position to win some heads-up matches. More importantly we are well built for a long tournament because unlike other countries we've trained our whole lives for the match-ending technical fall. At seven points Americans like Brent Metcalf have an enormous, absolutely GIGANTIC incentive to go out and launch rapid attacks. By earning quick technical falls wrestlers like Metcalf can save their energy for the battles they might run into later in the tournament, while other more conservative wrestlers like those from Iran might not be able to end matches as often with such efficacy. Like you wrote, this team is probably peaking for September, and if you trust their training and leadership, then you have to be optimistic about their chances to bring home more than two gold medals at the World Championships.

If you felt let down that a Bellator sideshow bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson fell through, don't worry. Rampage is fighting a Brazilian big-headed parade float. By that I mean Tito Ortiz, but either way, it will anchor Bellator's first pay per view with two big named fighters in a total mismatch. The only question is whether it is a good idea. Also on this week's show, Richard and John discuss what's next for UFC featherweight champion Jose Also and take a first look at the UFC's debut on Fox Sports 1. Do you want to listen to a past episode? Access archives.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Scotti Sentes, a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and four-time national qualifier while wrestling at Central Michigan, has been named assistant wrestling coach at Cal Poly. “In looking for an assistant coach this spring, we wanted to hire someone that not only was good on the mat but also someone that could relate well to our student-athletes and help us promote the Mustang Mission,” third-year Mustang head coach Brendan Buckley said Thursday in announcing the hire. “We feel strongly that we accomplished this in hiring Scotti Sentes,” Buckley added. “He is a great technician and will be a terrific asset for returning NCAA qualifier Devon Lotito as well as all of our wrestlers.” Sentes twice won Mid-American Conference titles (2009 and 2011) and placed third in 2010 and 2013. He finished his Chippewas career with a 108-33 overall record, including 55-12 in duals (17-1 in MAC dual meets) and 53-21 in tournaments. Among his 108 career wins were 23 falls. Sentes placed fourth in the NCAA finals at 133 pounds as a junior in 2011 and seventh at 125 as a freshman in 2009. While wrestling at Central Michigan, Sentes also was involved in numerous camps and club teams. He was a clinician for wrestling clinics and camps at Central Michigan and throughout the country under Chippewas head coach Tom Borelli. Sentes also was founder and head coach/clinician for Team Anaconda Blood and was a coach for National Team Florida, preparing wrestlers for national competition during the high school offseason. He also was an instructor for the Riverdale Wrestling Club during his high school career. Sentes was a four-time Florida state high school champion while attending Riverdale High School, compiling a 213-3 career prep record and winning his last 140 matches. He also finished runner-up in the state finals at 103 pounds while competing with the varsity as an eight-grader in 2004. He was 51-0 with 36 falls as a senior. Sentes also won a senior nationals title in 2008. Sentes earned his bachelor of science degree in English at Central Michigan last May.