InterMat Staff

InterMatWrestle.com has released its NCAA Division I preseason team tournament-strength and individual wrestling rankings for the 2011-12 season. Defending NCAA champion Penn State tops the team tournament-strength rankings with 108.5 points, 9.5 points in front of second-ranked Iowa. Oklahoma State is third with 84.5 points. Minnesota, the lone program with 10 ranked wrestlers, begins the season ranked fourth. Cornell and Lehigh share a No. 5 ranking. The Big Ten has six teams ranked in the top 10. In the individual rankings, six of the 10 No. 1-ranked wrestlers are NCAA champions. Updated rankings will be released every Tuesday during the college wrestling season. View Preseason Rankings

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The Lehigh wrestling team is gearing up for the 2011-12 season which begins in less than a month. Official practice began on Monday for the Mountain Hawks. The first two days of the season featured morning practice in the Billy Sheridan Wrestling Room in the Gerald G. Leeman Wrestling Complex, followed by lifting and conditioning sessions in the afternoon. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to build upon a successful season that saw Lehigh return to the top ten at the NCAA Championships, while producing three All-Americans and the program's 27th national champion in Zach Rey. “It's great to get everyone back together as a group,” explained head coach Pat Santoro. “We can start to do some instruction now and build up the intensity level. That's a good thing for us coaches to get our eyes on them and work with them on a daily basis.” Rey returns for his senior season as the nation's No. 1 heavyweight. He will be looking to become Lehigh's first two-time national champion since Darryl Burley (1979 and 1983). National runner-up Robert Hamlin, the first wrestling All-American from Vermont, returns for his junior season at 184, while Brandon Hatchett returns after placing seventh at 165. “It's good to have them back,” Santoro said. “When you have All-Americans who graduate its still good for the program, but when they come back to the room, the guys who work with them every day see them and know that its something that can be done. It adds some credibility.” Lehigh begins preseason practice with 31 wrestlers on its official roster. In addition to the Mountain Hawks' three returning All-Americans Santoro notes there are plenty of wrestlers hungry to try and leave their mark. “We have a couple of round of 12 guys that had losses that left a sour taste in their mouths,” Santoro said. “The freshmen are pretty hungry and there are some other guys that are trying to knock on that door for a starting spot. It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few weeks.” Senior Joe Kennedy (197) and sophomore Steve Dutton (141) are the two men who fell one win short of All-America honors in Philadelphia. Senior Sean Bilodeau returns for his senior season at 157 giving Lehigh six returning starters from last year's EIWA Championships. NCAA qualifier Joey Napoli is expected to defer his eligibility this year while he moves up to 149 and at 174 Austin Meys will sit out while he recovers from illness, opening the door for others to try to work their way into the lineup. Among the veterans who will look to crack the lineup, senior Kyle Rosser and junior Shane Welsh return at 149, while junior Kevin Bailey will drop down to compete at 174. Santoro and the rest of the coaching staff are high on the freshman class that includes Anthony Salupo, coming off a year of deferred eligibility, and true freshmen Mason Beckman (125), Chris Dinnien (133), Eric Hess (157/165), Nate Brown (174) and John Bolich (174) among others who will compete to make an immediate impact. “The young guys are expected step up and wrestle well, just like the older guys,” Santoro said. “It depends on their attitude. So far the attitude has been great but we need to keep that focus until March.” Santoro knows that there is a lot of work to be done during preseason camp, leading up to the annual Wrestle-Offs, October 27 at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. “We have a lot of guys back but we still have to do a lot of work,” Santoro said. “If we stay the same, we're going to get worse. We have to continue to improve. We set high goals this year. We want more people on the podium and more national champions. He continues, “Fundamentals are really important. There are some new rules changes that we need to make adjustments for. Hopefully we can use those to our advantage. Other than that it's the same as every year. We're just trying to get better.” The regular season begins on Sunday November 6, when Lehigh will send approximately 20 wrestlers to the Buffalo Open in New York. The Mountain Hawks' first dual meet is set for Saturday, November 13 when Pittsburgh visits Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall at 7 p.m.

Lee Kemp, one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the history of the sport, has joined the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling staff. "What an opportunity for UW Whitewater and our wrestlers and staff," UW-W head coach Tim Fader said. "I am really excited for the Warhawk wrestlers in our program. This is a chance for our guys to really learn and take from one of the best wrestlers our country has ever had. I have the opportunity to hear Lee speak and relate to younger wrestlers and have always been impressed. He has coached at the highest level of our sport. He is more than "just interested" in topics that can make a difference in a college wrestling career -- nutrition, technique, motivation and preparation. I am excited to be around that level of knowledge and that type of success and achievement. He is a very sincere and inspiring person and we welcome Lee Kemp to our program," Fader added. Kemp's resume' is so extensive that his name transcends the sport of wrestling. His collegiate career came just 45 miles from Whitewater at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kemp went 143-6-1 for the Badgers, with five of those losses coming in his freshman year. His first year accomplishments included a win over Dan Gable and a second place finish in the NCAA championship. He lost the championship match on a split referee's decision in overtime. That would be Kemp's only loss in NCAA championship competition as he won titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978. His 39-0-0 record in 1976 was the only undefeated season in Division I wrestling. He went 103 consecutive matches without a loss (sixth best ever), and 87 in a row without a loss or tie (fourth best ever). Kemp was a three-time Big Ten champion, and three time Midlands Tournament winner. Kemp's international career spanned the globe. He won three world championships (Mexico City 1978, San Diego 1979, Alberta, Canada 1982), the first coming at the age of 21, just after finishing college and the youngest American to win a world or Olympic title at the time. Kemp added gold medal honors in World Cup competition four years in a row (1979-82), the first American to accomplish that feat. He also won Pan American Games gold medals in 1979 and 1984, as well as seven national championships (Amateur Athletic Union and United States Wrestling Federation). He was selected for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, but the U.S. boycotted the games in Moscow, Russia (USSR at the time). His coaching career, like his competitive career, came at the highest levels of the sport. Kemp coached the U.S. freestyle team that competed in the 2007 World Championship in China, coach the U.S. freestyle team at the World Junior Championship in 2007 in Beijing, China, and he was the head coach of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team that competed in Beijing. Kemp's honors and awards, just the highlights, include some of the most coveted in sport. Amateur Wrestling News named him the Outstanding Freshman in 1975 and the Outstanding Sophomore in 1976. The same publication honored him on the "Post 1958 Era All-Time Collegiate Wrestling Team". He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1989, one of six hall of fame selections he has earned. That group includes the George Martin Wrestling Hall of Fame (1983) in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame (2009), and the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame, conferred during the 2008 Olympics. He was named the United States Wrestling Federation Man of the Year in 1978, and was a two time finalist for the Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. "Five years ago I made an important decision to get back into wrestling and use my background and experience in wrestling and nutrition to make a positive impact on the athletes I was working with," said Kemp. "I really enjoy getting on the mat and working with the athletes, and realize that I have lot to give and share. I believe the timing is perfect for me to connect with UW Whitewater and do what I can to help them win big." Kemp's unique abilities will be shared in a weekly learning moment that will include training tips, motivation and inspiration elements. The sessions, just ten minutes long, will be held at 2:30 every Tuesday from now through December 13 in the upper lobby of Williams Center on the UW-W campus . Everyone -- UW-W athletes, UW-W students, fans, members of the community, is welcome to attend the free sessions. "Lee Kemp brings world class insight to the wrestling program at UW-Whitewater. His background and experiences will make an immediate impact on our team," UW-W athletic director Paul Plinske noted. "I'm especially excited about the work that Lee will be doing with all of our programs. His weekly thoughts on training for peak performance will be shared with all of our student-athletes. Many will benefit as we strive to establish championship performances in our program," said Plinske. Kemp is the proud father of three children, Jordan (18), Mercedes (17), and Adam (11). The UW-Whitewater wrestling team placed third in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference last year and twenty-ninth in the NCAA Division III championship. The Warhawks will open the season with a quad meet at UW-Madison November 13 that also includes Northern Illinois and Loras. The first home appearance of the season will be November 17 at 7:00 with UW-La Crosse visiting Williams Center.

Ben Askren

Cody Sanderson

The Ohio University wrestling program took another step forward on Sunday night when the coaches secured the verbal commitment of Wadsworth senior Kagan Squire. A three-time state place winner for the Grizzlies, Squire will sign his NLI in November, has his sights sets on a state championship in March, and plans on arriving in Athens next summer. Kagan is the 26th-ranked senior in the InterMat Top 100 and he finished his junior year ranked ninth at 125 pounds. "The Bobcats are a rising program, they are trying to build something great, and that is something I want to be part of," stated Squire over the phone on Monday night. "Ohio is a great school for wrestling and academics and together that is a great combination for me." Kagan Squire is ranked as the No. 26 recruit in the country (Photo/Bob Tuneberg, BuckeyeWrestling.com)Kagan has a 3.5 accumulative GPA and scored a 25 the first time he took his ACT. He selected Ohio University over Army, Michigan State, and Appalachian State. One thing Ohio had that the other schools didn't, Brad Squire. "Having my brother (Brad) at OU definitely helped the Bobcats, but after looking around I think I made a great decision and I am excited to be a Bobcat," explained Kagan. "He would have supported me whatever my decision was. At the same time I think it is a special opportunity to be on the same team with him again." A current sophomore at Ohio, Brad went 134-12 as a four-time state place winner and a two-time state champion at Wadsworth. Both Squires were integral parts of the 2010 State Championship team that ended Lakewood St Edward's run of thirteen consecutive Division I state championships. With an older brother that was hammer, Kagan started high school with expectations and has not disappointed with a 134-15, career record in three years in the varsity lineup. As a freshman he went 44-8 and placed third at 112 pounds, as a sophomore he finished 40-4 taking second at 119, and as a junior he improved to 50-3 and placed second at 125 pounds. "The goal this season is to win an individual state title at 132 pounds," offered the high school senior. "As a team we should have a pretty tough so we want to challenge for one of the top five spots at state." Kagan Squire will take a 134-15 record into his senior season (Photo/Kevin Schlosser, BuckeyeWrestling.com)Kagan projects as a 133-141 at Ohio University while Brad is expected to continue competing at 149 pounds creating a potential one-two punch of Squires for at least two years. When asked if he wanted to wrestle or redshirt as a true freshman, Kagan seems open to whatever the OU coaches think is best. "I'm not worried about next year in college when I still have goals to accomplish as a high school senior. Right now it isn't an issue if I redshirt or wrestle as a freshman, that is something that will sort itself out when I get in the room and see where I am at next fall." stated Kagan. A year-round wrestler, Squire is also a two-time Cadet Ohio state freestyle champion and the 2009 Cadet National champion. He hasn't been to Fargo the last two years, but he has wrestled at a number of Junior level tournaments with his only loss coming to Mark Grey at the 2011 Junior Duals. "Freestyle is fun and it is something different to do when you are not wrestling for the school," responded Kagan when asked about his success in the Olympic style. "In college I will probably wrestle Juniors or Universities, but I need to focus on making the adjustment to college wrestling and classes before I look too far ahead." With his focus on the present, Squire hasn't forgotten his past or turned a blind eye towards the future. "I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, friends, teachers, and family for being there for me over the years. Their support and guidance have meant a lot to me as a wrestler, a student, a friend, a brother, a son, everything ... They have helped me to become the person I am today and to get the opportunities I have in the future so it is up to me to continue making them proud," concluded Kagan. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from BuckeyeWrestling.com. http://www.buckeyewrestling.com/?q=node/43845

As almost any wrestler will readily attest, tallying up personal win-loss records and the total number of championship titles won are certainly not the only means by which to ascertain individual accomplishments within the sport. Case in point is this year's Dellinger Award winner Mark Palmer, whose own journalist body of work -- compiled over the course of the past 12 years -- has not only already left an indelible imprint upon the wrestling community at large but, also perhaps, well beyond its customarily established borders. Mark PalmerOverall, Palmer is the 47th individual recipient of the Dellinger Award, which -- since 1960 -- has been given out annually by Amateur Wrestling News magazine in order to recognize some of the sport's most outstanding journalists. The award itself is named after its first honoree, Bob Dellinger, an Oklahoma sportswriter and editor who spent 25 years providing statewide and nationwide coverage of wrestling at both the high school and college levels respectively. In addition to Palmer's long-time status as a staff writer for the online media outlet InterMat -- formerly known as RevWrestling.com -- as well as his frequent contributions to Amateur Wrestling News, he also coauthors the ongoing series "Where Are They Now" for Wrestling USA magazine and has written for the Guillotine, a Minnesota-based wrestling publication with a corresponding online site. His work has also been incorporated into two Division I NCAA national tournament exhibits, including "Family Ties" -- the 2011 presentation which has since been adapted into a book format. Additionally, he has offered written reviews of nearly two dozen wrestling-related books and three wrestling documentaries -- "Takedowns and Falls," "Veritas," and "Independence" -- and has recently finished writing a book manuscript detailing the life of former Oklahoma State head coach Ed Gallagher, which has yet to be released. He has also made several appearances on "Takedown Radio" and has been a one-time guest of the radio broadcast "On the Mat" as well. Introduction to the sport Despite the fact that Palmer himself never wrestled, nor did any of his immediate family members, the inherit value of the sport has yet to go unnoticed by this recently named award winner. "I grew up in a town called Sterling, Illinois, which is in northwestern Illinois, about one hundred and twenty miles straight west of Chicago and as I tell people, about twenty miles from Iowa," explained Palmer. "We got our television coverage from the Quad Cities, which straddles Iowa and Illinois, and being aware of wrestling in the state of Iowa and thinking about the people that I was aware of when I was in junior high and high school -- which is about the time that I guess I would say I was becoming a fan -- were Dan Gable, the Peterson brothers, and Russ Hellickson." Individuals who later went on to wrestle in the 1972 Olympics as Palmer is quick to recall, vividly recounting it as the first Olympic coverage of wrestling that he remembers viewing on television. "I remember watching ABC Wide World of Sports, because they covered the NCAAs on a tape delayed basis, " continued Palmer, "and I remember watching Dan Gable losing to Larry Owings two or three weeks after the fact in the match that was Dan Gable's only loss in high school and college." "Back then, you didn't have the Internet," added the 2011 honoree. "I did not subscribe to any magazines. My coverage, or my awareness, was pretty much limited to the Des Moines Register. My dad would get the Chicago Tribune and the Sunday Des Moines Register. It was right around the corner from where we would go every Sunday in Sterling, so he would pick those up, and I would read both papers just really thoroughly." "The Tribune didn't cover wrestling much, but they'd cover the Midlands," he further clarified. "That was the big event that I was aware of as a kid. Then, the Des Moines Register would cover both Iowa State University and the University of Iowa -- back in the 1970s, before Iowa became the force that it is now, it was more Iowa State and Gable being a wrestler at Iowa State." "When I went over to Ohio University," continued Palmer, a journalism advertising graduate who -- along with his family -- relocated to the state of Ohio as a high school senior, "it was a chance to go to matches more easily; that made it more possible to follow (wrestling), and the student newspaper did a good job of covering the sport, so I was kind of able to grow that interest a little bit more." Online contributions "That's one of the beauties of the Internet is that it's really made it more possible to follow a team or program and individuals wherever they are," indicated Palmer. A technological advancement he has since put to exceedingly good use in terms of his own subsequent involvement with the sport which resulted in the creation of Amateur Wrestling Fan Attics (AWFA), an online Yahoo user group launched by the Cincinnati-based wrestling enthusiast nearly twelve years ago and, to date, boasts a membership of three thousand. "Yahoo has this function where people can set up a group and invite people in and post photos and articles," offered Palmer. "Generally, we (group members) post links to stories about college, high school, international wrestling, and anything amateur wrestling related. Sometimes there are discussions and even arguments," he added. "It's basically a way to make people aware of news stories and maybe keep people posted on events. It's not specific to a team. It's not specific to a wrestler, so hopefully it serves a wide range of people wherever they might be." What are specific though are his other online groups, which showcase individual wrestlers as well as other assorted topics, including his Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson offerings along with his Vintage Amateur Wrestling and NCAA Heavyweight Champs websites. "Thanks to the Internet, there are more and more people who are setting up websites, and I think that's tremendous," further acknowledged Palmer. "More and more people are doing quick interviews -- video and audio -- and that's great. I think the more these people's (wrestling-related) stories get told, the better it ultimately is for the sport. Maybe fans or young wrestlers or would-be wrestlers get to hear or read these things and maybe it'll help grow the sport." History in the making However, it was not until almost nine years ago, when Palmer actually started adding his own written accomplishments to his online resume, after he was approached by AmateurWrestlingPhotos.com and asked to write a post-event recap of the 2003 Division I NCAA national tournament that would run in conjunction with the site's hundreds of photos highlighting the wrestling action -- spanning the preliminary matches right up through the final championship rounds. Since then, he has written online national tournament recaps every year after that, whether from a distance or onsite while sitting on press row. Then, six or seven years ago, he was asked to write for what was then a newly launched online media enterprise formerly known as RevWrestling, where his primary focus was doing profile pieces which were assigned to him by his editor, featuring either wrestlers or coaches--high school and college alike. When the website opted to purchase InterMat several years ago, Palmer made the transition as well, continuing on, again, as one of their regular feature-producing contributors. "We -- InterMat editor Andrew Hipps and I -- always laugh about this, because I usually get to talk to people before they become really successful and well-known to everybody (collegiately)," shared Palmer, immediately citing two fairly recent Cornell competitors -- two-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake and the late Adam Frey. "I interviewed Kyle in his first month at Cornell," he further expounded, "before he had a single dual-meet match I believe. Here was some young guy -- an 18 year old -- who was very, very enthusiastic, with just the whole world ahead of him." "Another individual in a similar situation, but with a very sad ending, was Adam Frey," continued Palmer, "who I interviewed during his freshman year, before his cancer diagnosis and, of course, before his passing away -- again, somebody who was just full of that future vision. Sadly, his life was over before he was even able to finish school." Book reviews Not only is Palmer recognized for his chapter contributions to the book "The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps," he is also known for his numerous wrestling-related book reviews, which he began writing five or six years ago and can be found at InterMat Rewind -- with its link located on InterMat's homepage. In terms of selecting the books themselves, often times it is a matter of the author approaching Palmer himself; whereas other times, it comes down to him contacting the book's author on his own. Either way, the result is generally the same and almost always involves uncovering the story behind the book itself. "It's always fun for me as a writer to talk to another writer," acknowledged Palmer, "whether it's a historical book or if it's a novel -- to hear what motivated them, to hear about how another writer thinks and puts things together and how they even come up with the idea of a story." "One of the neatest interviews that I had was with Nolan Zavoral, author of "A Season On the Mat," about Gable's last year as a coach," he added, "because that was a book that I really enjoyed reading when it came out -- to get to talk with the author and get the inside scoop about how the book came together and how he actually followed Gable and the Hawkeyes that 1997 season and then had three months to put the finished book together and went off to the monastery at Saint John's in Collegeville, Minnesota, and having to fax pages in the middle of the night to get the book published on time -- that one in particular just stands out." Historical pieces Also found at InterMat Rewind are Palmer's historical pieces, including profiles of wrestlers and coaches from forty, fifty, sixty, and seventy years ago as well as stories on the evolution of everything wrestling related from the changing of uniforms, to rules, to actual mat construction itself. True gems -- each and every one of them -- that are not only a reflection of this wrestling enthusiast's passion for history in general, but more specifically his equally strong feelings regarding the history of the sport. "I interviewed the first African-American to wrestle at the NCAAs, which was back in 1949, and that was Harold Hanson, and then also Simon Roberts, who was the first NCAA champion of color," noted Palmer. "He was the 1957 NCAA champion for the University of Iowa. I interviewed both of those gentlemen over the phone -- both pioneers in the sport and really neat guys." "Those people of the past -- they were great athletes, and they deserve to have their stories told," he further explained, "and sometimes, there's just a real human interest angle to it, too, including what it was like to be the only black person among one hundred and fifty to two hundred white guys, wrestling at an NCAA tournament held in Colorado, back in 1949." "A lot of my stories about historical things are my ideas or spark from something someone has said," admitted the recent award recipient. "I did a story about the 1958 NCAAs because I had all this material about them and had the DVD of the finals to watch and then was able to interview three or four guys who actually competed at those NCAAs." "I really enjoy doing those (articles about the past)," he added, "because I learn a lot from them and have received nice feedback from other people about those stories where I think they're learning something, too, and maybe gain an appreciation for people who might not just be names to them anymore." Representation of wrestling at the collegiate level Recently, Palmer has further extended the application of his talents and knowledge of the sport into his written work for Examiner.com, which he describes as a news organization where people are encouraged to write about an area of personal interest or knowledge and then focus primarily on that given subject matter. "I am the College Wrestling Examiner," Palmer explained, noting that he has been representing the collegiate aspect of the sport in this particular vein for about the past two and a half years. "I write about college wrestling wherever it is in the United States. I am, to my knowledge, the only person who writes about college wrestling as a beat (for Examiner.com), consistently." "We're encouraged to write often," he added, noting that he himself tries to write one relatively short, quick news story per day. "My goal is to talk to all college wrestling fans or maybe talk to that Iowa fan about something that may be going on outside their realm that's important, whether that's a possible coming apart of the Big Twelve again or changes in rules. Coaching changes are a really big thing, and I cover a lot of obituaries as well, because I think that people deserve to have their careers acknowledged and highlighted." "Another thing I write about is the connection between college wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA)," continued the Cincinnati-based writer, whose justification for the coverage has to do with informing those college wrestling fans who perhaps do not read MMA magazines or visit those websites pertaining to that particular sport who may want to keep abreast of their favorite collegiate wrestler's progress as he makes his way into the world of mixed martial arts. Touching greatness Along with the countless hours of time spent with respect to shared conversations during the interview process itself, some of Palmer's most treasured memories within the sport are the actual written correspondences and in-person meetings with some of wrestling's greatest names, including Rulon Gardner and his family during the 2001 World Team Trials in Cincinnati, Ohio. "What a neat story that was," stated Palmer, referring to Gardner -- the dairy farmer from Wyoming with the learning disability -- who defeated the Russian Lion Aleksandr Karelin, a three-time gold medalist who was undefeated during thirteen years of international competition and expected to win a fourth title when he and Gardner met in the 2000 Olympics. "I think Gardner is one of those figures that the wrestling community loves, but I think it goes beyond that, too, which I think is important for wrestling," he added. "That people who hit the consciousness of people who are not necessarily fans of the sport but are aware of them and admire them. Gardner I think is one of those examples of somebody, who because of his personality and his achievements, kind of transcends that." "I think that's something that the sport could use more of," further recognized the Dellinger Award winner, "because I think with all the challenges the sport faces -- programs being eliminated and funding cuts -- that people need to see the value of the sport." Recognition outside the sport itself "Back when we were approaching the tenth anniversary of when Dave Schultz was murdered by John du Pont, I thought some kind of tribute was needed," declared Palmer. "So, I started doing some research, because I guess in my own mind, I basically knew what happened, but there were a lot of details I didn't know." "In doing that research, I was then put into touch with people who knew him and had been at Foxcatcher, the estate where all of this occurred and was a training facility for a lot of the United States' wrestlers," he added, "and what I thought was going to be a typical one-part "Rewind" story, ended up being a five part (series)." Contacts which later included an email to Palmer from Schultz' now college-age son Alexander, who was eight or nine years old at the time of his father's death -- an experience which the Cincinnati-based writer then later also wrote an article on for InterMat. As it turns out however, that was not the only direct form of contact Palmer received regarding the Schultz series. "I was approached last fall by an Australian television network or production company that have a series about sensational crimes involving the rich," acknowledged Palmer. "They were interested in the story because of John du Pont being a multi-millionaire. They had interviewed the police and prosecutorial people in the Philadelphia area that were involved in the case, and they came across my stories." As a result of those stories, they then asked Palmer to talk about the wrestling aspect of Schultz' life during a filmed interview in Cincinnati, Ohio. Palmer has yet to see the finished product, but has been told by friends that they have seen the segment aired here in the States as part of the Discovery channel's "Behind Mansion Walls" series. "I think of the stories I've done, that one really seemed to speak to a lot of people, and maybe people learned from it," shared Palmer. "I certainly did which is a lot of why I write, because I want to know something, and I'm curious about something. I'd like to think it helps not only to tell individual stories, which I think is important, but maybe also helps to promote the sport." The above feature is a revised version of the original article as it appeared in the Oct. 15, 2011, issue of Amateur Wrestling News magazine.

Event: UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas Date: Oct. 8, 2011 The UFC Monster is coming off another winning card from UFC 135, but now it's time to again find more winners than losers, and do it again! My mission is to find flaws in the Las Vegas betting line on UFC fight cards, and turn those flaws into winning betting opportunities for our readers. It is not our intention to promote gambling, but rather to give some strong handicapping tools and opinions for those who do. I have done well over the years as archived on this website. We generally favor wrestlers over strikers, buy today's mixed martial arts athlete is cross-trained in all aspects of the sport. One-dimensional fighters are a thing of the past in the UFC. Tonight's card features two (2) championship bouts. Undefeated Gray "The Bully" Maynard (10-0-1) will try to capture the lightweight (155 pounds) belt from champion Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (13-1-1), whose only blemishes have been to Maynard. Both are strong former Div.1 AA wrestlers.Their last fight was an amazing back-and-forth affair, where Maynard dominated early, and Edgar came on strong later. How can this rematch not be "Fight of the Night" (+175 odds)? I'll take the bait. I also like Maynard in this rematch as a slight underdog (+120). The fight is even. I'm not sure how a guy 0-1-1 against his opponent warrants being the favorite? With the support of the MMA fighters who were polled, I will take the odds on Maynard, as he shockingly ends this fight in the third round with some dominant ground-and-pound. A TKO win goes on the Bully's resume. That puts me on UNDER 4.5 rounds at +190 as well. The other title bout is the featherweight (145 pounds) championship between Jose "Scarface" Aldo (19-1) vs. challenger Kenny "Ken Flo" Florian (14-5), whose sharp elbows, solid striking, jiu-jitsu skills, and Octagon experience will offer a challenge to Aldo. But Scarface is on another level. His speed, power, and range of skills have dominated his weight class. KenFlo beats many good fighters, but always seems to lose the big ones (Shawn Sherk, B.J. Penn, Gray Maynard). Kenny likes to say that "he finishes fights!" But an improved, hard-working Florian will again be disappointed as Jose Aldo lays him flat midway through the second period. Take Aldo at -350 to retain his championship belt by TKO. There is no bigger trash-talker in the UFC than wrestling's Chael Sonnen (25-11-1), a middleweight (185 pounds) who takes on ex-Marine and powerful striker Brian Stann (11-3). One of the best handicapping tools to use in this sport is to lay odds on a ground controlling wrestler to be an overzealous striker. This fight fits that profile perfectly, as 15 of Sonnen's 25 wins have been by boring decision. He doesn't "finish" fights. He gets his takedown and then lays and prays, doing just enough to control his opponent and earn a decision. Stann will need some great takedown defense to survive here. And, I think he can get it with a knee of quick strike while Chael shoots for the takedown. The +210 underdog odds make this an attractive play for me, as I want to bet with my heart and not my head here. I am not a fan of Sonnen's and his disrespect for the sport I love, MMA. However, Chael is a great ambassador for amateur wrestling. NOBODY, not even Scott Casber, promotes wrestling like he does! He is one hundred percent behind amateur wrestling and he wants to educate the public and promote the sport. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to see Chael leave the UFC (after a loss to a patriotic marine) and make himself a full-time ambassador for wrestling. A smart gambler leaves his emotions on the sidelines. So I will PASS on this fight, and just watch and hope for the best for the USMC. Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard (29-8-2) is a beast at 155 pounds. And, he has been on a mega-roll since joining Greg Jackson's camp. He has won 19 fights by KO, and has won eight of his last nine fights, losing only to Nate Diaz by submission … and this is where we find our edge. Guillard has lost seven of his eight losses by submission! And, Joe Lauzon is a submission guru with 16 submission victories out of his 20 wins!!! The key for Lauzon, of course, will be to survive the early onslaught and attacks by Guillard, avoiding the KO, and then find an opportunity to grab and limb and head to the mat. Once there, it becomes Lauzon's world. A stunning rear-naked choke ends this early in the second round, after Guillard wins the first. Take the incredible +350 on Lauzon, and throw a little on this being the FON at odds of 10:1. Lauzon also gets submission of the night here. Lightweight Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia (15-7-1) likes to bang. And he likes to have close fights. There have been four split decisions and one draw in his last seven fights! Now that's good match-making by Joe Silva. His opponent tonight, Nam Phan (16-9), is in revenge mode as he lost a close and controversial decision to Garcia in their previous fight. This will be a back-and-forth, toe-to-toe, wild swinging affair. Another FON candidate. I'll stay with the fighter looking for revenge, and lay the -230 on Phan. That completes the main card. Now let's take a quick look at the undercard. The following two fights can be seen for FREE on Spike TV tonight at 7 p.m. CT. And they should be good ones. Damien Maia's (14-3) jiu-jitsu is some of the best in the world. He stormed onto the UFC and rolled out sub after sub after sub. He then lost a boring decision to Anderson Silva, and he has struggled ever since in finishing his opponent's off. Tonight he takes on another Brazilian, Jorge Santiago (23-9), a seasoned veteran with the ability to end fights by strikes or on the mat. Maia wants no part of a stand-up fight (see Nate Marquardt for details). And, so this one will be fought on the ground. Santiago may have good jits. Maia has great jits. A second-round choke submission ends this. Lay the -260 on Maia. Anthony "Showtime" Pettis (13-2) will forever be remembered for his amazing kick off the cage in his WEC finale. His opponent, Jeremy "Little Heathen" Stephens (20-6), can throw lead with his powerful uppercuts. He is a head-hunter. This one should be full of stand-up, macho fighting. Who will go down first? No one. This ends with a unanimous decision for the favorite, Anthony Pettis, at -290. The rest of the undercard: Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran (13-5) has had five fights in the UFC, going 3-2. His opponent, undefeated Stipe Miocic (6-0) has had five fights in Cleveland, Ohio, and none in the UFC. So, why is he the favorite here? I guess I'll find out. But tonight I will bet on the underdog with more Octagon experience. It doesn't get any easier than that. Beltran at + 200 stuns Miocic with a first round KO, and sends the UFC Monster to the winner's window (again). Aaron "A Train" Simpson (10-2) should have little trouble disposing of Eric "Red" Schafer (12-5-2), a journeyman with a decent ground game. Simpson overpowers here and wins by second round ground-and-pound TKO. Lay the juice, -325. Thiquan Zhang (15-1) at -130 wins a close decision over a game Darren Elkins (12-2). Steve Cantwell (7-4) tries to get his career back on track with a unanimous decision victory over Mike Massenzio (12-5). I'll play Cantwell and lay the -140, which I find to be a very reasonable price. So, that's it, eleven fights with action on 10. Now let's see if we can keep our winning streak alive with our fictitious $1000 bankroll. Let's lay $100 to win $120 on Gray Maynard winning the lightweight belt. Let's lay $20 to win $35 on Maynard/Edgar FON (Fight of the Night). Let's lay $140 to win $40 on Jose Aldo retaining his featherweight belt. Let's lay $70 to win $245 on Joe Lauzon's submission work. Let's lay $10 to win $100 on Lauzon/Guillard FON. Let's lay $92 to win $40 on Nam Phan, surviving Bad Boy Garcia. Let's lay $130 to win $50 on Damien Maia's submission lesson. Let's lay $116 to win $40 on Showtime. Let's lay $56 to won $40 on Steve Cantwell. Let's lay $78 to win $60 on Tiequan Zhang. Let's lay $130 to win $40 riding the A Train. Let's lay $60 to win $120 on the Mexicutioner's KO power. In all we are risking $1002 to win $930. GOOD LUCK, and don't forget to give some of your winnings to your local youth wrestling program, where tomorrow's champions are born. Enjoy the fights! I know I will.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue wrestling team announced its 2011-12 team captains on Friday morning, honoring seniors A.J. Kissel and Roger Vukobratovich and sophomore Cashé Quiroga, who were selected by team vote. Kissel remains a team captain for the third straight season, while this is the first leadership honor for Vukobratovich and Quiroga. “This is a tremendous honor for our guys,” said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. “To be a captain on a Big Ten wrestling team is an honor in itself, but I think it is extra special to be elected by your peers. Those are the guys you go into battle with, day in and day out, and to know they want you at the front of the pack is humbling.” Kissel has been a team captain in each of the last two seasons and is looking to make his final season extra special. Voted as high as 10th in the nation in the various preseason polls, Kissel will take the mat in his senior year at 197 pounds, moving up from 184. He sits just three pins short of the Boilermakers' career record of 48, currently held by Hinkel, and needs 23 wins to reach the 100-career victory plateau, achieved by just 16 wrestlers in Purdue history. Vukobratovich is the favorite to win the Boilermakers' 285-pound starting position, heading into his final collegiate campaign with a career mark of 25-31, including eight career falls. His best season thus far was in 2008-09, when he finished 10-4 on the year with five pins, a technical fall and two major decisions. Vukobratovich received a medical hardship from the NCAA for the 2009-10 season, and looks to finish strong in his senior year. Quiroga returns to the mat for the Boilermakers after taking a redshirt in 2010-11, moving up from 125 to 133 pounds. Quiroga was a 2010 All-American at 125 pounds, finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships and setting several Boilermaker freshman records in the process. He was just the fourth true freshman in school history to earn national honors and his 124 takedowns on the year are the most ever by a Boilermaker rookie and the sixth-best single-season total in the Purdue record books. Quiroga's return to the mat is anticipated across the country as he's been tabbed as high as fifth in the nation at 133 pounds in the preseason polls. The Boilermakers start their practice schedule on Oct. 17 in preparation of the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 5.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Members of the Northwestern wrestling team voted on captains for the 2011-12 season and redshirt senior John Schoen (Homer Glenn, Ill./Lockport) and redshirt junior Jason Welch (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas) were elected to lead the squad. The two upperclassmen have wrestled in more than 150 matches combined for Northwestern. "We had a very successful season last year and much of that was due to our leadership from the 2010-11 captains,” Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano said. “Andrew Nadhir, Bobby Joyce and Brandon Precin served that purpose well. This season, the team has selected John Schoen and Jason Welch to represent them as their captains." A three-year starter at 197, Schoen begins his final season with the Wildcats. He posted a 16-12 overall record last year, the best overall mark of his career, and went 10-7 in dual action. "Schoen will be a dominating presence in the upper-weights for us,” Pariano said. “He has much-needed experience, and will be called upon to provide senior leadership to our core of upper-weights." Welch returns for his junior year after posting a 29-7 overall record and 18-1 dual mark as a sophomore at 157 lbs. Welch achieved All-American status last year as he placed sixth at the 2011 NCAA Championships and finished third at the Big Ten Championships. In two seasons with the Wildcats, Welch has amassed records of 55-17 overall and 31-4 in dual meets. "Welch was one takedown away from wresting for a national championship last season,” Pariano said. “That experience drives him every day in practice and it will enable him to lead this Northwestern team to great heights this season." Northwestern begins the 2011-12 campaign at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, hosting Stanford at Marist High School in Chicago, Ill. This season, the Wildcats host six duals at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the NU Duals on Dec. 11 and the 49th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Tickets are on sale NOW for Midlands and fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-888-GO-PURPLE or by visiting the Midlands Tournament Info section on NUSports.com.

Fight Now USA Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! Our guest host this week is former writer for the Des Moines Register, Dan McCool, author of Reach for The Stars, The new book about the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m CT/10 a.m. to noon ET. In our salute to the history of our sport The following men will be joining us either in studio or on the phone. They are being recognized and being inducted into the Iowa Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. National Wrestling Hall of Fame Nominees for the State of Iowa, Lifetime Service to Wrestling Tom Ball, Wrestling coach Jefferson-Scranton High School Gene Doyle, Wrestling coach at Cedar Falls High School Mike Exline, Lifetime Service Award for Officials Jay Hoskey, Wrestling coach at South Tama High School Dr. Tim Gibbons, Outstanding American from the State of Iowa Brad Kasal, East Union High School, Iowa Medal of Courage Other special guests in studio: Joe Gibbons, NCAA champion for Iowa State Bill Nelson, Three-time NCAA champ for University of Northern Iowa, 1948 U.S. Olympic Team member Ken Estling, Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association G. Wyatt Schultz, Owner of The Predicament, focused on wrestling in Iowa Fans, athletes,and coaches this is your sport. Join in the conversation live, ask questions. 866-333-5966 and 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app.

Imagine working a second job that demands long hours and time away from family and friends, that can be both physically and emotionally exhausting, all while not getting paid -- or paid very little -- for the work. For most people, that does not sound like much fun, let alone a dream job. It is for John Sachs and Tony Rotundo. Tony Rotundo (Photo/Larry Slater)Sachs and Rotundo, who live only an hour's drive from each other in Northern California, are two of the world's top wrestling photographers. They are chasing a passion that has taken them all over the country and world and provided them with unforgettable experiences. It is a love for photography and wrestling, coupled with wanting to give back to the sport, that drives them. "Wrestling is a fantastic sport," said Rotundo, who spends his days working as a producer for a multimedia company called MX Production Studios, located in San Francisco. "It builds so much character. It sort of speaks to why I called my website Wrestlers Are Warriors. It's not a military thing. It more just gets to the fact that it takes so much guts to get on a wrestling mat. The sport just needs more people to give back. It took me a while to really be thankful for the sport." Rotundo, who grew up just outside Buffalo, N.Y., was born into the sport. The son of a high school wrestling coach, Rotundo was first introduced to wrestling when he was 5 years old. He ate, drank, and slept wrestling during his early years. His father, Joe Rotundo, a well-known high school wrestling coach in New York, coached him and passed on his love for the sport. "I just have so much respect for him because of how much he put into it, how passionate he was," said Rotundo of his father. "It's really mind-boggling. He was not only our high school coach, but also the kids club coach. We would practice six days a week, and Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays we would do a kids club practice, double sessions three days a week." Joe Rotundo coached champions and demanded a lot out of his wrestlers, including his son. "My dad was not like the mellow coach," said Rotundo. "He was high strung, high intensity, lots of yelling, watching video right after the matches, and lots of weight cutting." Naturally, Rotundo found some success in the sport. He competed at the 1984 Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman. He also placed third at the Empire State Games. But he narrowly missed qualifying for the New York State Championships. (Interestingly, his nemesis in high school wrestling was former Hofstra coach Tom Shifflet's brother, Timmy Shifflet.) Rotundo continued on with his wrestling career in college at the University at Buffalo. But he left the team after two years. "I never made the varsity lineup there, " said Rotudno. "That was really around the time that I was starting to wane from the sport. I discovered beer and girls." After college he worked as a copywriter in Washington D.C. ... before deciding to move across the country to California. "My job as a copywriter wasn't really going anywhere," said Rotundo. "I broke up with my girlfriend who I had met in college. I came out to San Francisco to visit some friends. As I was leaving, one of them said, 'If you ever move out here you have a sofa to stay on.' So that sat with me. About six months later, I said, 'Screw it, I'm going.' I was 25. I had a car, some money, and no girlfriend. " Tony Rotundo photographing the 2010 World Championships in Moscow, Russia (Photo/Larry Slater)At that time, wrestling was the furthest thing from Rotundo's mind. He was living and working in California, and content with where his life journey had taken him. But eventually the wrestling itch came back. Rotundo knew that he wanted to get involved again in the sport in some capacity, but did not know exactly what he wanted to do with the sport. He tried his hand in refereeing, which he says was a disaster. "It sucked," said Rotundo. "I reffed one JV tournament and had these coaches screaming at me that their kid wasn't pinned. I'm like, 'Dude, it's a JV tournament. Your kid was on his back for a minute. He was stuck. Why are you screaming at me? So I didn't do that for very long." Eventually he got into coaching wrestling at Berkeley High School, first serving as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach. That lasted five years. It was during that time that Rotundo met John Sachs at a high school wrestling tournament in California. "It was our state qualifying tournament for the North Coast section in California," recalled Rotundo. "John happened to be next to our team. He was frustrated because they wouldn't let him photograph from the floor. We just started talking." Rotundo knew as soon as he began talking to Sachs what the next phase of his life would be. "The minute I met John and asked him what he was doing, I knew at that moment that I was going to work with him," said Rotundo. "It was like there was no question in my mind at all. It was like a flash ... I was like, 'Yes, that's exactly what the next phase of my life is going to be with wrestling.'" John Sachs (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)At that time Sachs had already begun to make a name for himself as a wrestling photographer. He had launched his sports photography website Tech-Fall.com and photographed some of the nation's premier wrestling events, like the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials. Sachs took Rotundo under his wing, teaching him the ins and outs of wrestling photography. Soon the two began working together, traveling the country and world shooting wrestling events for Tech-Fall.com. "John has been an amazing mentor to me, completely selfless, just showed me the ropes in every way," said Rotundo. "I owe him a lot of credit. He's a great guy. He really helped me get to the level that I'm at now." There is a mutual respect between the two. "Tony is a comfortable guy to work with, a comfortable guy to be around," said Sachs. "He cares a lot about the sport and really enjoys his work and working with the athletes. Tony loves to feel connected to the athletes. You can see that he really enjoys what he's doing and enjoys the participants. We've always just had a good relationship. He's just a fun person to be around and a fun person to work with." Rotundo thrived under Sachs' tutelage. His work has appeared in all the national wrestling publications and he has had several cover shots. His photos are also used by several Division I wrestling programs. In 2010, Rotundo was named Photographer of the Year by the National Wrestling Media Association. Tony Rotundo shares a laugh with Flowrestling.com's Joe Williamson at the 2010 Reno Tournament of Champions (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Sachs and Rotundo worked together for five years, and still do on occasion, but in the fall of 2010 Rotundo launched his own wrestling photography website, WrestlersAreWarriors.com. The website includes photo galleries, as well as a blog, downloadable posters, news feeds, and other features. He recently launched another website called AthletesAreWarriors.com that includes photos from sports other than wrestling and MMA. Rotundo recently returned from photographing the 2011 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. It was his third straight World Championships, but his first experience shooting a U.S. wrestler winning a World title. "Having Jordan Burroughs win was a really special experience, one I hadn't had yet," said Rotundo. "As serious and focused as it is for the athletes and coaches, given I take vacation time and pay my own way, I have to have fun doing it. That said, it's a tremendous amount of work, and hard to explain to friends and co-workers when they ask how fun Istanbul was." Rotundo's goal is to photograph the Olympics Games. He does not know when that opportunity will present itself. There is a chance it could happen as early as next summer for the London Games ... or he may have to wait another four years. "It's a great goal for me," said Rotundo. "There's no higher credential than the Olympics. The Super Bowl would probably be tough to get a credential for, but really an Olympic credential is the highest photo credential you can possibly get." John Sachs grew up as a military brat, bouncing from school to school and state to state. He attended 13 schools in 12 years. He went out for wrestling in junior high, but did not find it to his liking. As Sachs puts it, "I had one miserable season before moving on to another sport." John Sachs at the 2010 World Championships in Moscow, Russia (Photo/Larry Slater)He eventually graduated from Southern Regional High School in New Jersey. He spent time in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam War era, working in communications and doing a lot of Morse Code. Sachs' job required him to listen and sort out particular sounds amongst 10 to 12 different sounds. He would be on watch for four to six hours at a time and be able to stay focused and listen for not only friends, but also distress signals. It was that experience that Sachs credits for his ability to concentrate and focus while photographing. Sachs was reintroduced to wrestling when he told his son, Albert, when he was in seventh grade, that he had to choose a sport to participate in ... and to Sachs' surprise, his son chose wrestling. Sachs attended his son's meets and tournaments as a spectator, but it wasn't until after his son stopped competing in high school wrestling that Sachs began photographing wrestling events. "I never took a picture of my son wrestling, which is really funny," said Sachs. "If I did, they probably wouldn't have been very good because I would have been too nervous to take quality pictures." Tech-Fall.com WebsiteSachs began taking wrestling photos in 2002 after working with his son's high school wrestling coach on developing standards of achievement for the wrestlers. "I thought about how that kind of setup would work in anything you did," said Sachs. "I thought, 'Well, how can I apply that to my photography? What would it take in order for me to go from being a not very well known or accomplished photographer to an Olympic photographer?' So I just started to put that down on paper and decided at that moment that I wanted to be an Olympic photographer." So Sachs set about on the course to accomplish that goal, just like any athlete would to reach the pinnacale of a sport. Sachs launched his website Tech-Fall.com in 2002 and began populating it with wrestling photos from youth, high school, college, and international wrestling events. Sachs continued to gain experience and notoriety with each wrestling event he photographed. He photographed the 2003 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in New York. Tech-Fall.com continued to expand and grow its audience every year. Sachs was named Photographer of the Year by the National Wrestling Media Association in 2005. John Sachs photographed Henry Cejudo when he won Olympic gold in 2008 (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)In 2008, Sachs achieved his goal of becoming an Olympic photographer when he was granted a photo credential for the Olympic Games in Beijing. He was matside to photograph U.S. freestyle wrestler Henry Cejudo winning an Olympic gold medal. "There's nothing that compares to the gold medal experience," said Sachs, who will be in London next summer photographing his second Olympic Games. "Getting that opportunity to be matside for Henry Cejudo's run in Beijing is just something you'll never forget. The high from that experience stays with you for a very long time." Sachs makes his home Petaluma, Calif., with his wife, Anne. He is most comfortable with a camera in his hand. When Sachs is not photographing wrestling, he is photographing students and other non-wrestling-related things for a company called LifeTouch Studios. Wrestling and photography are his passions, but he is a man of many interests and hobbies. The sport of cycling is another one of his loves. He has photographed all of the Tour of Californias. He and his wife traveled to France to photograph Lance Armstrong winning his seventh Tour de France title. "To me, it's about the speed, the recklessness and the tactics that are involved in the sport," Sachs said of cycling. "I'm really amazed at what these athletes do and what risks they take. That's the big draw for me." John Sachs at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Philadelphia (Photo/Elite Grappler App)Sachs is also a wine connoisseur and has been for many years. He lives in Sonoma County, which is at the beginning of California's premier wine country. He knows many of the wine makers and is involved in charity work within the wine country. "It's a great way to relax, to get out in the vineyards and be part of nature where it's so quiet and so beautiful," said Sachs. "This is an amazing part of the country, all of the small valleys, all of this different terrain that allows for a lot of individual spirit to come out in the wine making. There are a lot of fun and interesting people." Sachs prefers shooting international wrestling over shooting any other level of wrestling. He will be photographing the Pan American Games for the first time in his career later this month in Guadalajara. He would like to someday photograph the Military World Championships. He still remains as excited as he has ever been about wrestling photography. "I'm still excited every day," said Sachs. "I'm anxious for this season to get started. I wish there were more wrestling events to shoot. As long as I feel that way, I'm going to keep photographing and seeing how much more I can do for this sport."

Shawn Charles

Shawn Charles The 46th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be hosted by Arizona State University on Nov. 21, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. This event will be on the heels of a great run at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, where the Sun Devils brought home two NCAA Champions (Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins) and a sixth place team finish. The ASU Sun Devils are the only team in the west to win an NCAA Championship which they did in 1988. The All-Star Classic will feature twenty of the top wrestlers from around the country along with some local feature matches. The complete line-up will be released starting at the end of October. "We are pleased that ASU and Coach Shawn Charles have stepped up to host this signature event and showcase a renewed sense of pride behind their team, which just a few years ago was briefly dropped. Having the top athletes in the country coming to compete in this event shows the relentless resolve of the coaches, athletes, and fans in our sport," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. The All-Star Classic is one of the NWCA's signature events, to which The United States Marine Corps has been a long standing presenting sponsor for eight of the past ten years. "The All Star Classic being held at ASU is a first and a great opportunity for ASU wrestling and the greater Arizona wrestling community. I would like to personally thank the NWCA for giving us the chance to host this prestigious event," said head coach Shawn Charles. Charles was a competitor in this event in 1993 where he won by decision over Tony Purler of Nebraska. Only twelve wrestlers from ASU have competed in the All-Star Classic. The All-Star Classic has been a long-standing traditional event, which use to be referred to as the East-West Meet, up until 1988, when the event became the All-Star Classic. By the numbers: the NWCA All-Star Classic has only been held in the west seven times in the forty-six year span. The event has visited Oregon four times (1977, 1979, 1990, and 2007), California two times (2009 and 2010), and once in Utah (1985).

OREM, Utah -- Coming off their best season, the Western Wrestling Conference, an NCAA Division I wrestling-only alliance, will begin its sixth year of competition in 2011-12. Charter members of the Western Wrestling Conference include: the United States Air Force Academy, North Dakota State University, the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Northern Iowa, South Dakota State University, Utah ValleyUniversity and the University of Wyoming. The WWC had a breakout year in 2010-11, with three league wrestlers earning All-American honors. The conference has now had nine All-Americans in its first five years of existence. In 2011, Utah Valley's Ben Kjar (125) became the Wolverines' first-ever wrestling All-American by placing fourth at the NCAA Tournament, while Wyoming's Shane Onufer (165) and Joe LeBlanc (184) placed fifth and sixth respectively at the NCAA Championships. Two out of the three wrestlers will return in 2011-12, as Onufer and LeBlanc will both be seniors for the Cowboys. LeBlanc has already become the conference's first three-time All-American as he also finished fourth at the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and fifth in 2009. Northern Iowa's Moza Fay was a two-time placer during his tenure by finishing sixth at 165 pounds in 2009 and fifth at that same weight in 2008. In 2010 Northern Colorado's Justin Gaethje (157) finished seventh to earn All-American honors and UNI's Jarion Beets (174) placed eighth to accomplish the same feat. In all, 17 wrestlers from the WWC qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships, 15 via automatic slots and two at-large selections. The WWC had four competitors who were seeded in the top-12 of their brackets. At 141 pounds, Air Force's Cole VonOhlen was the No. 9 seed and at 165 pounds UW's Onufer was slotted in at No. 7. In the 184-pound weight class, the Cowboys' LeBlanc, received the No. 5 slot, while the Panthers' Ryan Loder was right behind him earning the No. 6 seed. The 2011 NCAA West Regional served as the conference tournament for the fifth straight season. The tournament was held at Clune Arena on the Air Force Academy grounds in Colorado Springs, Colo. In the team race, Wyoming held on to win its second straight West Regional team title by beating the former 24-time champion Northern Iowa Panthers by six points. UNI however won the league's regular season dual title with an unblemished 5-0 record. In years past Wyoming won the regular season championship in 2010, UW and UNI tied for the title in 2009, and the Panthers were tops in the league after both the 2008 and 2007 seasons. The league's three major postseason awards in 2011 were given to UVU's Kjar for Wrestler of the Year, Loder from UNI took home the Freshman of the Year award and Wyoming's Mark Branch won Coach of the Year honors. In the near future, the goal of the league is to replace the West Regional with the conference tournament, which would then serve as the NCAA qualifier. This year's NCAA West Regional will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2012 at the McLeod Center on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The WWC recognizes student-athletes on both a weekly and full-season basis. Individual awards include Wrestler of the Week; All-Conference teams; an Academic All-Conference team; and Wrestler, Newcomer and Coach of the Year awards. The league also crowns a team champion following the conclusion of the regular season conference competition and the postseason tournament. The governance of the Western Wrestling Conference remains primarily with the member institutions. Scheduling of contests, assignment of officials and certain media relations functions remain with member institutions. With league members spread out over six states and two time zones, schools are required to compete against five league schools in dual action to be eligible for the regular season conference championship. However schools are encouraged to schedule all conference members. A major benefit of having a league that is geographically spread out so far is the added exposure - both in terms of media and recruiting - in new destinations. Theconference affiliation also generates much interest within the seven schools' substantial alumni base, which numbers nearly 800,000 combined. North Dakota State, Northern Colorado and South Dakota State have all made the move fromDivision II to Division I since joining the WWC. UVU moved directly from Junior College (NJCAA) Athletics to NCAA Division I and completed its reclassification before the 2009-10 season.

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Nebraska wrestling team, in its first year as a member of the powerful Big Ten Conference, will be making its first-ever trip to Bucknell next month and tickets for the highly anticipated match between the Bison and Huskers in Sojka Pavilion will go on sale this Friday, Oct. 7. Fans wishing to purchase tickets to the Nov. 10 dual match can call the Campus Box Office at 570-577-1000 or visit its website, www.bucknell.edu/boxoffice. Tickets for the season-opening dual will cost $8 for adults and $4 for individuals 62 and over and 18 and under. Bucknell students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with ID. All seating will be general admission. Sojka Pavilion doors will open one hour before the 7 p.m. match. This will be the third time Bucknell has hosted a premier wrestling event at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison faced 23-time NCAA champion Iowa and Rutgers in a November 2009 tri-meet, and they hosted last March's 107th EIWA Championships, with the facility drawing rave reviews each time. Bucknell, which against the Huskers will be wrestling its 100th match since the program was reinstated prior to the 2006-07 campaign, has had at least one All-American in three straight years and has seen a Bison claim an EIWA individual title each of the last two seasons. Nebraska, which finished 12th at last year's NCAA Championships, has placed in the top 10 of the team standings at NCAAs six times since 2000 and has had at least one All-American every year since 1989. The Bison and Huskers met last November in Lincoln, Neb., and Bucknell held a one-point lead going into the final bout, but fell by a 19-16 score in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Bison will have four other home dates (Dec. 3, Dec. 17, Feb. 5, Feb. 12) in 2011-12, with each of those matches taking place in the team's customary home, Davis Gym. All home events in Davis Gym will feature free admission.

USAFA, Colo. -- Senior Alec Williams and junior Cole VonOhlen have been named co-captains for the Air Force wrestling team, as announced by head coach Joel Sharratt. Williams, a native of Fultondale, Ala., and VonOhlen, from Jackson, Minn., were voted by their teammates to serve as captains for the 2011-12 season. Williams has been a three-year starter for the Falcons and posted a career-best 26 victories in 2011-12, one of seven Air Force wrestlers to surpass the 20-win plateau last season. Meanwhile, VonOhlen, a two-time NCAA qualifier, becomes the first underclassman to hold the position of wrestling team captain at the Academy since Jack Black in the 1971-72 season. VonOhlen has recorded 75 career victories in just two seasons, including 44 wins during the 2010-11 campaign. “The team and staff are encouraged by the signal this leadership duo brings to our program, and the support and leadership they will provide ot their fellow team members,” said Sharratt. “The elected role of team captain at a service academy means a lot more than just being center mat for the coin flip; this is a true responsibility and others will be looking to these two great young men for a variety of inputs regarding development on and off the mat!”

Head Wrestling Coach Joe Russell has announced that Tommy Owen has been hired as an assistant coach for the Mason wrestling program. A native of Spokane, Wash., Owen was most recently the head coach of Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley, Washington where he was named the Washington 4A Region 4 Coach of the Year for the 2010-2011 season. "I am excited Tommy has joined me at Mason," said Russell. "Tommy comes from a great wrestling family and has grown up around college wrestling. He knows what it takes to build a program and develop successful student-athletes. We will work hard to make George Mason University proud of their wrestling program." Owen was also an assistant coach at Boise State University in the 2007-08 season where he helped the Broncos to a 2008 PAC 10 championship. He took over the assistant coaching duties after wrestling two seasons for Boise State. He transferred to the Bronco program following three years of wrestling at the University of Minnesota. "The thing I'm most excited about is being able to work with Joe," remarked Owen. "Being able to work for someone like Coach Russell is very special to me. I think Mason just hired one of the top wrestling coaches in the country. I felt he was a big part of all the success that Minnesota had while he was there." Owen has a long family legacy in wrestling and it helped him develop in to a well respected Division I wrestler and Division I wrestling coach. "A lot of people say you've got to learn through experience but for me I got to learn through listening from the experience of others, said Owen". It definitely fast tracked my coaching career because from a young age I was able to pick up on so much from other people. The experience and knowledge that I took from growing up in that surrounding was very important for me." Owen competed in the 141-pound weight class for the Gophers where he was a two-year starter. As a junior during the 2004-05 season, he finished the year with an overall record of 11-15 and placed seventh at the Big Ten Conference Championships, advancing to the NCAA National Tournament. His first year wrestling at Boise State was in 2005-06, but after competing in only one match an injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. Due to the early season injury, Owen was granted another year of eligibility from the NCAA. In his final season at Boise, Owen has hampered by another season ending injury after starting the season with a 4-6 overall record. Owen was a three-time Washington state champion at University High School and placed runner-up the other season. He was a high school national champion in 2001, and a cadet national champion and a 2000 junior world team member. His high school coach was his uncle Don Owen. "I'm excited to be able to come here and work in an environment where I will learn every day," reflected Owen. "It will make work fun and exciting and I think that will carry over to what we bring to the team. We're taking over a program and trying to bring a good attitude and the right mental approach to help these kids."

California Community College wrestling ranking have been released. 125: 1. Damien Gomez – Cerritos College 2. Jake Harrison – Cerritos College 3. Junior Davila – Fresno City College 4. Marc Collier – Bakersfield College 5. Phillip Hendrix – Mt. San Antonio College 6. Emilio Rivera – Palomar College 7. Eugene Cancino - Fresno City College 8. Justin Silva – Rio Hondo College HM • Andrew Wolochuk – Santa Rosa Junior College • Daniel Nguyen – Chabot College • Darren Salazar – West Hills College • Joel Rodas – Fresno City College • Ricky Ugarte – Lassen College • Sergio Sixto – San Joaquin Delta College • Yasier Alverez – Lassen College 133: 1. Chris Padilla – Fresno City College 2. Pierce Lowrey – Mt. San Antonio College 3. Isa Hurtado – Sacramento City College 4. Ralph Roja, Skyline College 5. Michael Ruiz – West Hills College 6. Rudy Delgado – Cerritos College 7. Auston Wulfert – Sierra College 8. Jeff Lobos – Lassen College HM • Jacob Barbarena – Cerritos College • Mack Chambers – Fresno City College • Morek Robbins – Santa Rosa Junior College • Nathan Monck – Sacramento City College 141: 1. Alberto Arreola – West Hills College 2. Kevin Rojas – Fresno City College 3. Eric Orozco – West Hills College 4. John Gay – Cuesta College 5. Jacob Depraect – Rio Hondo College 6. Anthony Kaouri – Cerritos College 7. Enrique Barajas – Sacramento City College 8. Aaron Pen-Kruger – Santa Rosa Junior College HM • Anthony Nebina – Fresno City College • Brian Ha – Skyline College • Efren Rodriguez – Sacramento City College • Marco Frantantoni – Cerritos College • Marcus Vargas – Cerritos College • Saul Garcia – Fresno City College 149: 1. Noel Blanco – Mt. San Antonio College 2. Seth Seneca – Santa Ana College 3. Conrad Rangel – Fresno City College 4. Pete Escandon – Fresno City College 5. Tim Nevarez – Sacramento City College 6. Paul Looper – Mt. San Antonio College 7. Milton Nkunku – Sacramento City College 8. Richard Morris – Santa Rosa Junior College HM • Alex Razo – Cerritos College • Laith Alnasirri – Sacramento City College • Marques Gebhardt – Skyline College • Owen Craugh – Lassen College • Voris Meeks – Cerritos College • Zach Mitchell – Cerritos College • Alex Rodriguez – Sierra College 157: 1. Ramon Estrada – Cerritos College 2. Jessie Baldazo – Sierra College 3. Brady Bersano – Fresno City College 4. Marcial Rodriguez – Lassen College 5. Miguel Torres – Fresno City College 6. Corey Flores – Santa Ana College 7. Shawn Porter – Sacramento City College 8. Jake Schilling – Fresno City College HM • Casey Schumacher – Santa Rosa Junior College • Marty Legaspe – Rio Hondo College • Zarek Sanchez – Lassen College 165: 1. Tigran Adzhemyan – Fresno City College 2. Trey Edmunds – Sierra College 3. Aaron Lopez – Santa Ana College 4. Joshua Newman – East Los Angeles College 5. Bret Schumann – Sacramento City College 6. Vinny Fausone – Santa Rosa Junior College 7. Alfonso Estrada – Cerritos College 8. Craig Sherman – Chabot College HM • Aaron Pickard – Sierra College • Anthony Spinella – Modesto JC • Brad Clark – Mt. San Antonio College • Gaaret Marinelli – Sacramento City College • Gavit Gevorgyia – Fresno City College • Josh Lujan – West Hills College • Zerek Sanchez – Lassen College 174: 1. Martin Fabbian – Fresno City College 2. Dwight Flores – Chabot College 3. Adam Charles – Skyline College 4. Ryan McWatters – Victor Valley College 5. Christian Milan – Cerritos College 6. Dylin Rodriguez – Sierra College 7. Allen Emmons – Sacramento City College 8. Logan Sackett – Cerritos College HM • Eric Gutterman – Santa Ana College • Jesse Mercado – Cerritos College • Lance Castaneda – Bakersfield College • Shaun Bry – Sacramento City College • Mike Macalister – Cuesta College 184: 1. Fito Rodolfo Juarez – Fresno City College 2. Erick Gomez – Modesto Junior College 3. Thomas Howard – Skyline College 4. Josh Cutts – Lassen College 5. Keith Nieves – Cerritos College 6. Tyree Cox – Cerritos College 7. Ken Steers – Sacramento City College 8. Bradley Beaudette – Cuesta College HM • Carlos Arana – Santa Ana College • Jesus Chavez – Sierra College (Has not competed yet) • John Aleman – Sierra College • Miguel Simon – Santa Ana College • Naweed Zemar yalai – Chabot College • Quentin Becker – Sierra College • Tyler Edwards – Sacramento City College 197: 1. Logan Paul Eickhoff – Shasta College 2. Gerson Nkunku – Sacramento City College 3. Martay Greer – Sacramento City College 4. Justin Whitten, Fresno City College 5. Aaron Dubois – Santa Ana College 6. Gene Griffith – Victor Valley College 7. Ismael Alvarez – Fresno City College 8. Jeff Monteiro – West Hills College HM • Anthony Gordon – Santa Rosa College • Austin Bergstadt – Sierra College • Colin Hart – Santa Rosa Junior College • Dominic Waters – Santa Rosa Junior College • Gearold Sotolongo – Shasta College • Matt Lopez – Rio Hondo College 285: 1. Richard Segovia – Chabot College 2. Sam Cervantes – Palomar College 3. Martin Gonzales – Mt. San Antonio College 4. Brian Klevies – Santa Ana College 5. Luis Contreras – Fresno City College 6. Mike Perez – West Hills College 7. Spencer Smith – Cerritos College 8. Buddy Barraza – Chabot College HM • Anthony Chu – San Joaquin Delta College • Brandon Rucker – Mt. San Antonio College • Bud Guinn – Santa Rosa Junior College • Caleb McDade – Sierra College • Daniel Gusev – Sierra College • Gerrardo Aguirre – Cerritos College • Leonard Castellanos – Santa Rosa Junior College • Ray Cisneros – Sacramento City College

Dave Whitsett, professor emeritus at the University of Northern Iowa, will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, Oct. 5. "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. Whitsett is a professor emeritus at the University of Northern Iowa. He taught psychology from 1974 through 2001, and worked with the Northern Iowa wrestling team during the 1970s and 1980s. Whitsett co-authored a book called “The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer”.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The North Carolina wrestling squad released its 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday and the Tar Heels will face another tough slate leading up to the ACC and NCAA Championships. Carolina will host three home dual matches along with the 2012 ACC Championships. Action gets underway for the Tar Heels on Nov. 6 when they travel to Blacksburg, Va. for the Hokie Open before back-to-back dual weekends in Hershey, Pa. and Latham, N.Y. The Hershey Duals (Nov. 12) will see Carolina take on a pair of top 25 finishers from a year ago in Illinois and Nebraska before closing out the day with duals against Ohio State and Boston. The very next weekend the Tar Heels will face off against top 10 finisher Lehigh, along with Penn and Rutgers at the Northeastern Duals. Carolina will close out 2011 in Las Vegas, Nev. as the Tar Heels will take part in the two-day Cliff Keen Invitational Dec. 2-3 before taking a break to close out the semester. The Tar Heels will open the 2012 calendar year at the Southern Scuffle in its new home of Chattanooga, Tenn. on Jan. 1-2 before opening the home and conference season Jan. 9 against rival Duke. Back-to-back weekends in Virginia follow for the Tar Heels as they will do battle in the Virginia Duals prior to a conference weekend at Virginia and Virginia Tech. Carolina will then host conference foe Maryland on Jan. 27 followed by a match against Navy the next day. The Tar Heels will close out conference action on Feb. 3 with a dual at NC State. To close out the regular season the Tar Heels will travel to Buies Creek, N.C. for duals against Northwestern and Campbell, followed by a trip to Charleston, S.C. for duals against Sacred Heart and The Citadel. Carmichael Arena will play host to the 2012 ACC Championships on March 3 as the Tar Heels will have home mat advantage in the yearly battle for the ACC crown. The 2012 NCAA Championships will be held in St. Louis, Mo. The Tar Heels sent three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a year ago and will return the services of a pair of freshmen who reached the Championships in 157 pounder Corey Mock and 197 pounder Zac Bennett.

Over the past couple years Michigan's top recruits have made relatively early college decisions. Typically by the end of August or early September, we are hearing commitments from the top prospect in our state. Therefore, this year with Taylor Massa, who is not only the top-rated grappler in Michigan, but the No. 1 ranked prep wrestling recruit in the country, everyone has been highly anticipating his decision as we enter the month of October. Taylor MassaMonday, in front of a group of news outlets and school staff at St. Johns High School, Massa finally released the news that everyone has waiting to hear as he announced his intentions to be a Wolverine for the University of Michigan, who recently added two big name assistant coaches in Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff, both of whom are about the same size as Massa. "I really want to go to the Olympics someday and I feel that I can do that at Michigan," said Massa, "The coaching staff and training situation has a huge impact on my decision, you can't really argue with workout partners and great environment I will have their. Plus I want to go to medical school and still train after my college career and that will work out perfect." Massa has been a mainstay on the national scene since the fall of his eighth grade year when he stormed through the Super 32 135-pound weight class and finished third over countless state champions and college bound seniors. Since then all he has done is win the biggest tournaments he can find and he has been the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound wrestler in his class by InterMat since his freshman season. So why did it take so long for this mega-recruit to make a commitment? "It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make because I am so close with the Michigan State guys and me and Chris (Williams, MSU assistant coach) go back a long time," said Massa, who grew up just 21 miles from East Lansing and attended nearly every Spartan home meet. "He (Williams) has done so much for me and I grew up idolizing him so it made this decision really hard." The huge success that Massa had early on has put him in a rare situation of nearly always being the favorite to win, even at the toughest tournaments in the country. As a freshman and sophomore wrestling at upperclassmen weight classes, he was expected to win and he did so, in dominant fashion without a single hiccup along the way, leading to his current prep record of 179-0. "High School season gets a little boring at times, but I try to keep my same focus of one match at a time. I hate seeing people wrestle not to lose, I have learned that you cannot worry about how close the score is or giving up a takedown or what other people may think. I try to just put that stuff aside and focus on what I have to do," said Massa. Massa's future goals are even higher than his past accomplishments. When asked, he mentions winning four NCAA national titles and winning Olympic medals as his major goals. Last summer Massa made the FILA Junior World Team and competed at the World Championships, where he lost first round and failed to place. It was the first time in a long time that he was out that early in a tournament, and as he says, it was a great learning experience. "I learned that you have to learn to adapt to not being able to follow your normal rituals and routine. It was a great learning experience even though I didn't really wrestle as well as I would have liked. It showed me that I still have a lot to work on and it really fired me up about wrestling in the Olympics. Before this summer I wasn't one hundred percent sure if I wanted to make a run for the Olympics after college or be done, but wrestling overseas and seeing how corrupt things can get really lit my fire." Dealing with pressure and dealing with adversity is something that this young man has had to learn early. Although he is going to be a Wolverine next year, it was a former MSU Spartan who helped him with his mental approach. "One thing Franklin (Gomez) told me was, 'Wrestling is not my God'," said Massa. "I am not as religious as he is, but I think that although wrestling is a huge part of my life, it is not my life. If I lose I deal with it and move on. Life moves on. Learning to think that way has really helped me deal with pressure and losses." The future looks bright for this kid; however, he is not done yet. He still has one more season left at St. Johns High School, where the Red Wing team may be almost as dominant as Massa this year. The Massa effect on St. Johns has been amazing as the team that was relatively unknown across the state 6 years ago is now a national powerhouse. "I really didn't think we (St. Johns) would ever be this good. I knew we would have studs but I always thought we would have big holes that would be hard to fill but like my dad always says – when you are surrounded by great wrestlers you're bound to get a lot better," said Massa, "A perfect example of this is the Bender brothers who went from being below .500 their freshman year to being state qualifiers as juniors last year and potential placers this year. Guys like that have taken us to the next level as a team." St. Johns looks to win their third team state title this year, however, according to Massa and many others this could be there best team yet with the addition of strong freshman class that includes his younger brother, Logan. "It's cool that me and my brother will get to be on a team together. Ever since I was in middle school we have talked about this year being our year and this whole town is ready for wrestling season to begin." The whole town of St. Johns is ready for this season to begin, but the whole country is ready for Taylor Massa's college career to begin. He leaves as one of, if not the most highly touted prep wrestlers that the great state of Michigan has ever seen and only time will tell what he can do as a collegiate and international wrestler, but the future definitely looks bright and we will all have the pleasure of watching it unfold nearby in Ann Arbor. InterMat was granted permission to republish this article from MichiganGrappler.com. http://www.michigangrappler.com/files/High_School/HS11-12/massa_um.html

With the high school wrestling season's start fast approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. From now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce fans to the top high school senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and Maine to California, fans will gain exposure to future college and senior level stars. Although Nevada does not produce the same number of All-Americans that states like California, Ohio, and Pennsylvania do, but Nevada produces some very good wrestlers every year. Nevada had six wrestlers that earned All-American honors in Fargo, and also a FILA Cadet National champion. Last year multi-time Fargo All-American Napoleon Aniciete (Las Vegas) signed with Utah Valley University. Some of the past Nevada standout wrestlers include NCAA Division I runner-up Chase Pami from Cal Poly (Cimmeron-Memorial, two-time 4A state champion), two-time Division I All-American Bryce Saddoris of the Naval Academy (Spring Creek, four-time 3A state champion). Also included in this list are current UFC stars Ryan Bader (McQueen), Gray Maynard (Bonanza), and Frank Mir (Bonanza). Nevada has 105 high schools that are divided into three divisions for wrestling. The main population centers are Las Vegas and Reno, with the rest being mostly rural areas. 1. Ray Waters (Spring Valley) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 170 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Analysis: Waters is a senior from Las Vegas. He lost in the 4A state finals to Fargo All-American Napoleon Aniciete. This was a battle of All-Americans because Waters was also an All-American in Fargo in 2010. You have to give Waters a lot of credit. He was wrestling and winning everything at 160, and he dropped down to 152 just so he could wrestle Aniciete. Waters finished the season with a record of 56-2. He won many large tournaments last year, including the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. 2. Jace Billingsley (Lowry) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 165 Analysis: Billingsley is a three-time 3A state champion out of Winnemucca. Winnemucca is a medium -sized town in the northern rural area of the state. Billingsley placed second in the Sierra Nevada Classic and won it the previous season. He is also a standout running back during football season and a pitcher for the baseball team. 3. Bronson Ashjian (Cimmeron-Memorial) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 138 Projected College Weight Class: 141 Analysis: Ashjian, who wrestles for perennial Nevada power Cimmeron-Memorial in Las Vegas, finished this past season with a record of 59-3. He is a two-time 4A state champion. 4. Steven Elicegui (Wooster) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 171 Projected College Weight Class: 174 Analysis: Elicegui is the defending two-time 4A state champion out of Wooster High School in Reno. He placed first at the 2011 West Junior Regional in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. 5. Broc Westlake (Reed) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 195 Projected College Weight Class: 197 Analysis: Westlake, who wrestles for Reed High School in Reno, is the defending 4A state champion. He finished the season with a record of 37-6. He also placed fourth in the Sierra Nevada Classic. 6. Gus Duncan (Lowry) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 149/157 Analysis: Duncan was the 3A state champion at 140 in 2011 and the 3A state champion at 130 his sophomore year. He is going for the lucky No. 3 this year. 7. Marcus Judd (Palo Verde) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 182 Projected College Weight Class: 184 Analysis: Judd finished the 2011 season with a record of 47-5. He won the Las Vegas Holiday Classic and finished third in the 4A state tournament. Palo Verde High School is located in Las Vegas. 8. Curtis Lampert (Spanish Springs) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 120 Projected College Weight Class: 125 Analysis: Lampert wrestles out of Reno. He finished third in 2010 and second in 2011. Hopefully with some hard work he will make his way to the top of the podium in 2012. His season record for 2011 was 40-8. 9. Dakota Sargent (Indian Springs) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 152 Projected College Weight Class: 157 Analysis: Sargent, who wrestles for Indian Springs, is the defending 2A state champion. Starting Sargent's sophomore season, he started working on only wrestling and has improved tremendously. 10. Ryan Nelson (Lowry) Projected 2011-12 High School Weight Class: 182 Projected College Weight Class: 184 Analysis: Nelson wrestles for 3A power Lowry. He is the defending 3A state champion and finished second in 2010.

Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich.), the nation's No. 1 overall recruit, has given a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan. He chose Michigan over Michigan State. Taylor Massa"It was an extremely tough decision," Massa told the Lansing State Journal. "It was extremely hard between those two schools, but in the end I feel like Michigan had just more of the Olympic route that I was looking to pursue after college. I would like to train to become an Olympic champ some day and I can do that at Michigan." Massa is a three-time state champion with a career record of 187-0. He won a FILA Junior National freestyle title this past spring. He projects as a 165/174-pounder in college. Massa is the third InterMat Top 100 recruit from the Class of 2012 to commit to Michigan. He joins No. 12 Rossi Bruno (Brandon, Fla.) and No. 35 Jordan Thomas (Greenville, Mich.). Other InterMat Top 100 recruits to commit over the past two weeks ... No. 31 Justin Koethe (Iowa City West, Iowa) to Wisconsin Listen to Interview No. 32 George DiCamillo (St. Ignatius, Ohio) to Virginia No. 36 Todd Preston (Blair Academy, N.J.) to Harvard No. 45 Dominick Malone (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) to Northwestern No. 47 Devon Gobbo (Delbarton, N.J.) to Harvard No. 48 Dakota Trom (Apple Valley, Minn.) to Minnesota Watch Interview No. 56 Sam Brancale (Eden Prairie, Minn.) to Minnesota Watch Interview No. 62 Zach Nevills (Clovis, Calif.) to Stanford No. 67 Willie Miklus (Southeast Polk, Iowa) to Missouri No. 68 Matt Cimato (LaSalle, Pa.) to Drexel No. 80 Jack Dechow (Richmond-Burton, Ill.) to Old Dominion No. 89 A.J. Vizcarrando (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) to Eastern Michigan No. 93 Micah Barnes (Simley, Minn.) to Old Dominion