InterMat Staff

The NCAA Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet during its conference call on June 24 approved selection criteria changes for the Division I Wrestling Championships. The changes require a wrestler to compete in at least eight matches in the weight class in which the wrestler plans to compete. They also set the pre-allocation number per weight class at 29, meaning that four of the 33 spots available in each class are reserved for at-large selections. Wrestlers must meet or exceed two of the criteria to reach the “bronze standard,” which is the level at which wrestlers become eligible for at-large selection to the championships field. Previously, wrestlers had to meet only one of the following criteria to be eligible for at-large selection: Top 33 RPI Top 33 coaches ranking (2/22/12 measure) .700 winning percentage against all competition One win against a wrestler receiving automatic qualification via an earned position Qualifying event placement one below automatic qualification Additionally, a wrestler must have participated in his respective conference or regional qualifying tournament to be considered for an at-large selection to the championships. All of the changes are effective for the 2011-12 season. Cabinet members supported the minimum of eight matches to maintain a competitive balance and help the Division I Wrestling Committee manage at-large selections. They also believe it helps strengthen the weight-management plan for the sport, ensuring that student-athletes compete regularly at the desired competition weight class rather than wrestle in multiple classes. By fixing the number of pre-allocated positions per weight class at 29, the cabinet feels that student-athlete performance during the regular season will be the driving factor in the wrestler's selection to the national championships.

T.R. Foley's Wrestling Roots project to document and promote traditional wrestling around the world can be found on the Wrestling Roots Facebook page ... and the Wrestling Roots website. He's been in Asia for the last two months researching his upcoming book. I remember sitting in the University of Virginia Wrestling room in 1999 listening to then-captain, now-coach Steve Garland and a half-dozen other wrestlers fantasize about what they would do if they ever win the NCAA championship. Almost every celebration included some use of available props, in this case ankle bands. Guys floated the idea of using them as a grenade (you've seen this before), others would lift them high above their head and then fall rigid to the mat like a tree in the forest. Still others had totally complicated, totally unprintable ideas they thought they'd like to express to 18k screaming fans. It was a comical moment that left an impression on me about the range of emotions and desires in the head of a post-match competitor. However, the truth is post-match victory celebrations in American folkstyle are exceedingly rare, in fact, they're almost non-existent. Darrion Caldwell celebrates after beating Brent Metcalf in the 2009 NCAA finals (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)The most famous post-NCAA victory celebration might belong to Darrion Caldwell after his cow-catching, headlocking, totally improbable victory over cement-fisted Terminator Brent Metcalf in the 2009 NCAA finals. The floor routine he executed amazed both for its athleticism and its candor (you really can't plan a full floor routine ... can you?) Caldwell had scored an upset against the leader of the most hated team in college wrestling and the crowd seemed willing to give him some leeway in expressing his emotions. Of course, Metcalf had a different opinion of the celebration and ended it prematurely with his now-famous push. The incident caused a major debate among fans about the appropriate response after winning an NCAA title, a debate that seems irreconcilable. Like most Americans I was brought up with "act like you've been there before," "win with class" and similar mantras aimed at preventing individuals from inflicting further emotional trauma on their opponent. But that shouldn't be the case in wrestling where the individual performs alone in front of thousands of people and in risking loss and humiliation is battle creates immense stress on his psyche -- a stress best released in the form of a dance (maybe a jig?). But currently American competitors in all sports are chastised for celebrating these physical accomplishments, ostensibly to protect the self-confidence of the competitor. I'm not advocating for gloating at the expense of an opponent, just the option for these guys to celebrate their accomplishment in full. For T.R. Foley, flapping his wings made him feel a part of the Mongolian culture and after seven weeks of travel and months of research this celebration helped relieve the stressIn Mongolia the celebration is a long-established tradition dating back more than 800 years. Winning wrestlers sprint towards the crowd and perform a 2-3 second eagle dance, both in recognition of the eagle (a national symbol) and to draw attention to their accomplishment in winning a sometimes long, but always brutal affair. Regardless of who wins, the lower-ranking wrestler then ducks beneath the arm of the higher-ranking wrestler and is patted on the rear. At that point the winning wrestler the jogs over to the shrine (recently a flag of Mongolia) and encircles it while flapping his wings twice more. He then jogs over to a village elder sitting on the side and receives a kiss and handful of fried dough pieces to distribute as he sees fit -- usually tossing them into the crowd, or towards the shrine as a show of gratitude. By contrast American competitors are taught to keep their heads down and walk off the mat. Lame. Why not allow them to express their exultation? Display their joy within an agreed upon set of parameters? The typical NCAA champion has worked for over 15 years to achieve their goal, yet any natural impulse he might have is stymied by peer pressure to be respectful to the loser. To make matters worse they then have to go explain these emotions to Quint “Lax” Kessenich. In some ways this type of PR-driven false modesty is as American as diabetes, but we shouldn't keep accepting it full-ladle. Now is as good a time as any to contribute ideas on how to allow these competitors a few moments to celebrate; yes, maybe even dance. Bubba Jenkins loved to put on a show as a collegiate wrestling competitor (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Despite our lack of dancing, Americans aren't without our own celebratory traditions. Hugging your coach after a significant win is commonplace (I did this after my biggest wrestling achievement) but we should expand on that tradition and allow the individual to let go of their emotional energy during the post-match rush of adrenaline. I'm not advocating tee shirt guns, fireworks and intro music, but maybe something crowd-inclusive, a symbolic dance not unlike the eagle flapping his wings, or ten seconds to walk the stage and blow kisses to their mother or father or high school coach -- I also like back flips. Are we so puritanical as to continue hastening these celebrations until they start only consisting of hugs and tears? If we don't change the rules then the only kids who get to celebrate are those like Bubba and Darrion who don't mind rule-breaking, and even they will start to receive retroactive penalties for their self-expression. I say let all the kids spread their wings, give them a moment to boast, they deserve at least that much from fans and their dark overseers, the NCAA. I understand that Americans will probably never accept victory celebrations. The NFL forbids group celebrations, but (kinda) allows for individual and the NCAA severely penalizes both individual and group celebrations, but allows for hugging -- always hugging. The NBA is less celebration-averse but those jokers tend to Dougie after every layup, thereby decreasing the worth of their dancing. Maybe celebrations are part of the reason soccer is so popular world wide? The fleet-footed ones are allowed to display the relief of their frustrations with coordinated dances and mini-plays -- fans can relate because soccer itself is essentially a stress-building activity (made so much worse by vuvezelas). The post-goal dance is cathartic for the individual and enjoyable for the fans and I don't think it's anyone's feelings are being hurt. Flapping before the fourth round of NaadamMost traditional wrestling cultures (like the Mongolian tradition I've experienced first-hand and which seems free of overly prideful boasting) incorporate dancing into the pre and post-match competitions and we should allow for the same. It seems unlikely that the NCAA would ever allow for such individual expression at-large; they're too bastardized by bureaucracy and hamstrung by process to ever allow for the happiness of 18-22 year olds. Our current tradition is really nothing more than a system meant to protect the feelings of individuals, we've shown little interest in promoting our cultural ideals (outside ticket sales and merchandising). Gloomy I know, but all hope for the future of incorporating traditional dance into our sport isn't lost. There still remains one way to teach fans about the power and elegance of a classy post-match dance. Next year there will be two Mongolians ranked in the top ten nationally, Turtogtokh of the Citadel and Ganbayaar of American. I haven't talked to them yet, but wouldn't it be brilliant if Gana, after winning the NCAA championship, sprinted to the edge of the mat, opened his arms wide and showed off his eagle? Wouldn't we all take note and share a smile? It'll probably never happen, and that's too bad, because I bet you some of the wrestlers -- the guys who've worked their entire lives to achieve one goal -- would really like the chance to spread their wings.

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Old Dominion University sophomore Justin LaValle took first place at the Pan Am Juniors this past weekend, winning the 66kg freestyle weight class and helping the United States to a first place finish. LaValle started the tournament with a 3-2, 5-1 win over Mexico's Jesus Rodriguez and followed that with a 6-0, 7-0 victory over Guatemala's Danny Chajon. The ODU sophomore defeated Luis Centeno of Puerto Rico in the semifinals 5-4, 3-0 and knocked off Gaelan Malloy from Canada 4-2, 1-0 in the finals. LaValle redshirted last season after going 17-13 as a freshman at 133 pounds. 66 kg/145.5 lbs. 1st - Justin Lavalle (USA) 2nd - Gaelan Malloy (Canada) 3rd - Jefrre Avila (Dominican Republic) 3rd. – J. Rodriguez Montoya (Mexico) 5th – Rafael Jesus (Brazil) 5th – Luis Centeno (Puerto Rico) 7th – Diego Reyes Grande (El Salvador) 8th – Ivan Fridman (Argentina) 9th - Danny Chajon (Guatemala) Freestyle Team Standings 1 United States 65 2 Canada 62 3 Mexico 46 4 Brazil 45 5 Argentina 30 6 Puerto Rico 30 7 Dominican Republic 28 8 Ecuador 14 9 Guatemala 13 10 El Salvador 12 11 Venezuela 9 12 Honduras 8 13 Peru 6

The nation's No. 3 senior recruit, Jimmy Gulibon, did not want much to do with the recruiting process. Jimmy GulibonSo the shy, unassuming 17-year-old who attends Derry Area High School (Pa.) got his college decision out of the way early. Four days after the early contact period began, Gulibon gave a verbal commitment to Penn State. He becomes the highest-ranked recruit from the Class of 2012 to commit thus far. "I don't really like to tell coaches that I don't want to go to their school," said Gulibon, a three-time state champion. "I'm too nice. I just needed to get the decision out of the way." So what sold Gulibon on Penn State? "The awesome coaches," said Gulibon, who has gone 111-3 in his high school wrestling career. "I checked out the facility and it was really nice. One of my buddies will be going to school there. There are a lot of really good kids on the team. And also they're No. 1 in the country." Gulibon says that he did not seriously consider any other school besides Penn State. "There are a lot of great schools, but I was just looking forward to going to Penn State," said Gulibon, who has not yet chosen a field of study. Gulibon, who won his most recent state title at 119 pounds, will enter a wrestling room at Penn State filled with credentialed wrestlers, and many around his weight. Two-time All-American Andrew Long will have one year of eligibility remaining when Gulibon arrives on campus. His friend and Young Guns Wrestling Club training partner Nico Megaludis, who defeated Gulibon this past season, will be entering his second year at Penn State. Another one of Gulibon's former training partners, Frank Martellotti, is also on the Penn State team and close in weight. Gulibon is uncertain whether the coaches will want him to redshirt or contribute right away as a true freshman. "Whatever the coaches want me to do, I'll do," said Gulibon, who projects as a 125/133-pounder. "But I'm thinking that I might want to step in right away and wrestle." Jimmy GulibonGulibon lives an hour and a half drive away from the Penn State campus. He says he became a Penn State wrestling fan as soon as Cael Sanderson became head coach in 2009. Gulibon is excited about the fact that his future coach is competing again. "I think it's awesome," said Gulibon. "If he can win a World title and an Olympic title, that would be incredible. I watched the Herbert match a couple weeks ago. He was just on him the entire time." In addition to winning three Pennsylvania state titles, Gulibon has won titles at many of the nation's most prestigious high school wrestling events, including POWERade (three times), Walsh Ironman, and FloNationals. Still, he feels like he has things he needs to accomplish before he arrives at Penn State. "I just want to do my best and hopefully win all the tournaments I go to," said Gulibon. " I want to improve on top ... actually, improve on everything." Gulibon has high goals and believes that Penn State has what he needs to accomplish those goals. "I would love to be an All-American and hopefully I can become an NCAA champion," said Gulibon. "I think with the coaches at Penn State, I possibly can."

Jahwon Akui (St. Rita, Ill.), who was ranked as the No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2011, has informed InterMat that he has committed to Iowa Central Community College. Akui will wrestle and play football for the Tritons. He becomes the third wrestler ranked among the nation's top 30 recruits in the Class of 2011 to commit to Iowa Central this year, joining No. 24 Edwin Cooper (Providence Catholic, Ill.) and No. 29 Terrell Wilbourn (Francis Howell Central, Mo.). Jahwon AkuiAkui won an Illinois state championship in 2010 at 171 pounds. This past season, Akui built a perfect 26-0 record heading into the state tournament, but a suspension prevented him from having the chance to defend his state championship. He was a Cadet Nationals double champion in 2008. In 2009, Akui captured double titles at FILA Cadet Nationals. He won his second straight Junior Nationals folkstyle championship at 171 pounds this spring. Akui was also an All-State running back on the St. Rita football team. He rushed for over 5,000 yards in his high school career. InterMat caught up with the 18-year-old Akui and talked to him about his decision to commit to Iowa Central, his love for wrestling and football, whether he plans on wrestling in Fargo later this month, and much more. What went into your decision to commit to Iowa Central? Akui: I thought it was a really good fit for me. I thought it would be a way for me to get ready for Division I. I had seen that a few good guys committed there. One of my best friends, Edwin Cooper, committed there, so I figured me and him could enjoy another two years together, wrestling and competing together. Were you set on wrestling and playing football in college? Akui: At first, I was kind of thinking about just playing football. But then I realized it would have been hard not to be able to wrestle. I wanted to wrestle, but I knew I wouldn't give up football. I knew Iowa Central was one of the only schools that would give me the opportunity to do both. I figured what better place to wrestle than Iowa Central. Looking ahead, do you plan to specialize in one of the sports after your career at Iowa Central? Or do you plan to continue doing both? Akui: I'm going to specialize in one of the sports. By going to a junior college, I felt that I would still have the time to do both. It also gives me time to make a decision on whether I want to wrestle or play football. When do you start football practice at Iowa Central? Akui: I start football Aug. 8. Jahwon AkuiWhat other schools did you consider? Akui: I considered Arizona State, Michigan State, and then mostly other junior colleges. You mentioned your relationship with Edwin Cooper. How long have you known Cooper? Akui: We've known each other for a while now. We've been on numerous (Team Illinois) teams together. We wrestled in the same conference. We hang out a lot on weekends. We actually took most of our recruiting visits together because we were looking at a lot of the same schools. He's just one of my good friends, one of my good wrestling buddies. It's going to be awesome to be able to room together and wrestle together. What was his reaction when you told him that you were going to be joining him at Central? Akui: I think he was excited. At first, I was the one talking about Iowa Central. I didn't know if he was going to go. Then I found out online that he committed. I knew there was a good chance that we could go to Iowa Central together. He was just glad about it. He knew we were going to be roommates the minute I said I was going to Iowa Central, so I think he was pretty excited about it. It's just a great opportunity for both of us. You were a part of Team Illinois that recently won double titles at the Junior National Duals. What was that experience like for you? Akui: It was awesome. I thought it was an amazing experience being able to be on the dual team and wrestle with a lot of the best wrestlers in the state of Illinois. We just wanted to go out there and prove a point. A lot of times we don't get to go out and compete against other states, so when we do get the chance to do it we take a lot of pride in it. At the Junior Duals, that's where most of the best kids go. We just wanted to go out there, compete, do our best, and win a few titles. Last year we won one. This year we won two. This year was a successful year for our state. You were unable to compete at the state tournament this past season. What did that do to you? Akui: It was tough. Not being able to compete was the big thing for me. It was just hard to not be able to go out there and defend my title. You hear people talking. I didn't get over it for a while. I didn't get over it until I got back on the mat at Folkstyle Nationals. After I won Folkstyle Nationals, I kind of put it behind me. It was just an experience I learned from. That's how I kind of took it. Where do you plan to wrestle weight class-wise at Iowa Central? Akui: I'm going to be a 174-pounder until maybe I get a little slimmer. Then maybe I can make 165. I plan on wrestling 174 for at least the two years at junior college. Is it tough maintaining your ideal wrestling weight while also playing football? Akui: Actually, when I was a sophomore making 171 pounds, I had problems getting back down to my wrestling weight after football season. Then as junior I still kind of struggled with it. This year as a senior I had to have the right diet and do the right things to get my weight down. It usually only takes a week or two to actually come down from about 190 to 171. I try to do it a healthy way where I have a lot of energy still. I don't think it's that big of a problem like it used to be when I was younger. You were a running back in high school. Do you plan to stay at running back in college? Akui: Yeah, I plan on being a tailback for Iowa Central. I don't play much defense. Jahwon AkuiCompare your love for football with your love for wrestling. Akui: Football is an awesome sport altogether. I'm American ... so I think everybody loves football. Everybody goes to the games because they're exciting. I play video games like Madden and NCAA all the time. It has just been my dream since I was a little kid. With wrestling, it's a one-on-one sport. You can take out all your frustration and anger. You go out there by yourself and you can get the job done beating another guy. That's the difference between the two. Football is a team sport. You have to count on other players, whereas in wrestling you know you need to get the job done. Since I've been wrestling, I've learned the difference between the two. I've loved competing as an individual. You don't have to depend on a lot of people as a wrestler. What are you most looking forward to in your first season at Iowa Central? Akui: I'm looking forward to being able to go out there and wrestle against a lot of good guys. I plan on winning a national championship next year. I'm also excited to compete against Iowa in a dual next season. I think I might be a little more excited for that than the junior college national championship. Do you plan on wrestling at Junior Nationals in Fargo later this month? Akui: I'm still thinking about it. It's usually a last-minute thing for me. I'm trying to get my body healthy so that I'll be ready to compete in football for a starting spot. But if I'm completely healthy and healed up, then I'm going to go to Fargo and compete for Greco-Roman and freestyle titles. You have had success in all three styles. Do you favor any of the styles? Akui: I used to be a huge Greco guy. As I've gotten older, I haven't practiced Greco as much in the summer. I started having more success in folkstyle and freestyle. I kind of like freestyle a little bit better than any style. Do you plan on wrestling freestyle and/or Greco-Roman while you're at Iowa Central? Akui: Yeah, I think I'm going to try freestyle for a while. I'm going to see how my college season goes, and then maybe try to join one of the clubs in Iowa.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Former Purdue wrestler and volunteer assistant coach Chris Fleeger was announced as the head wrestling coach at Darton College, in Albany, Ga., on Thursday. Fleeger wrestled for the Boilermakers from 2001 to 2006, finishing as an NCAA Championship runner-up twice and earning All-America honors three times. “I'm very excited to have the opportunity to go to Darton and take over a program with so much support and potential,” said Fleeger. “It's an opportunity for me to grow as a coach and a person and I can't wait to start working with the team.” Chris FleegerOne of the top lightweight wrestlers in Purdue history, Fleeger had a career record of 86-9, finishing third nationally at 125 pounds in 2002, second at 125 pounds in 2003 and second at 133 pounds in 2006. He owns the second-best career winning percentage in school history, taking .905 of his matches, including a 32-1 (.970) sophomore season, also the second-best in school history. He's third on Purdue's career back point list, and his 2003 season is still third in Purdue's history on the single-season list. Fleeger also had several successful outings in international competition as a Boilermaker, winning bronze medals at the 2002 World University Wrestling Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, and 2001 Pan American Championships. After Purdue, Fleeger trained with the New York Athletic Club at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He competed in several international tournaments, winning the 60 kg/132 lb. weight class at the 2006 Sunkist Kids Arizona State International Open in Tempe, Ariz. He returned to West Lafayette in 2007, when he began his time with the Boiler Elite Wrestling Club, which he worked with in conjunction to his time as a volunteer assistant coach at Purdue. “We're very happy for Chris,” said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. “This is a fantastic position for Chris to start his career as a head coach, and learn a lot of the things that go along with time in the room and on the mat. Darton has hired an amazing coach and technician and the program will benefit greatly from it.” Darton College Athletics Director Michael Kiefer added, “We are excited to have Coach Fleeger joining us as our Head Wrestling Coach. His success as a wrestler and coach will be of great asset to our program. He was the ideal candidate in a deep pool of applicants, and I am confident he will continue the growth of the wrestling program and take it to great heights.” A native of Trout Run, Pa., Fleeger received his bachelor's degree from Purdue in health and fitness in August of 2008.

FARGO, N.D. -- Roger Kish was introduced as North Dakota State University's fourth head wrestling coach in the 54-year history of the program during a press conference Thursday, June 30, at the Fargodome. NDSU Director of Athletics Gene Taylor made the announcement. Roger KishKish replaces Hall of Fame head coach Bucky Maughan, who retired this summer after 47 years at the University. A standout wrestler at the University of Minnesota, Kish completed his second year as an assistant wrestling coach at NDSU. Kish was a graduate assistant for the Gophers in 2008-09. The Lapeer, Mich., native was a two-time All-American and two-time NCAA runner-up for the Gophers at 184 pounds. He had a career record of 117-27 for the Gophers. As a sophomore, he went 35-7 en route to a Big Ten title and an NCAA runner-up finish. In his junior season, Kish was 37-3 and was the Big Ten and national runner-up. He was also a team captain. Kish graduated from Minnesota in May 2008 with a bachelor's degree in business and marketing education. He was also a two-time cadet national champion and also captured a USA Wrestling junior national title. At Lapeer West High School, he was a four-time Michigan state champion. Kish is the son of Roger and Brenda Kish. His older brother, James, wrestled at North Carolina.

American University Head Wrestling Coach Teague Moore has announced the promotion of Kyle Borshoff '10 to assistant coach. "We're excited to have Kyle join the staff as a full-time assistant," Moore commented. "His knowledge of American University wrestling and his experience will be an important tool in the recruiting process. Kyle's ability to organize and manage team activities are also valuable skills necessary to build our program." Borshoff served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2010-11, helping American to its best season in program history. American placed fifth at the NCAA Championships and crowned three All-Americans, with rising-senior Ryan Flores becoming just the second Eagle to reach the NCAA Finals. American placed fourth at the EIWA Championships as Steve Fittery, Flores and Matt Mariacher each captured individual titles. The Eagles' 14 dual meet victories set a record for most wins in a season. American also excelled in the classroom last year. The team was ranked second in the country in combined GPA, earning a record 3.4812. Six Eagles were named NWCA Academic All-Americans, setting a new NWCA record, while Flores and Daniel Mitchell posted the third and fifth-highest individual GPA's in Div. I wrestling. Borshoff graduated from the Kogod School of Business in May 2010 with a degree in business administration. He was a two-time All-American as an Eagle, a two-time Midlands Placewinner and three-time NCAA Qualifier. He graduated with a career record of 102-39 and currently ranks fifth in career wins, fifth in career falls, fourth in career technical falls and sixth in career major decisions. In his last season with the Eagles, Borshoff earned his second consecutive All-America honor by placing eighth at the NCAA Championships to become one of only four student-athletes in American history to earn multiple All-America honors. He finished the 2009-10 season with an overall record of 28-8 and a dual meet record of 16-0, and recorded four tech falls and four falls. Borshoff placed fifth at the EIWA Championships and seventh at the Midlands Championships as a senior, and was ranked as high as third in the InterMat College Rankings. Borshoff earned his first All-America honor in 2009, placing seventh at the NCAA Championships and recording a 33-7 overall record. He finished third at the EIWA Championships and fourth at the Midlands Championships. Borshoff first qualified for the NCAA Championships as a freshman after a fourth-place showing at the EIWA Championships, making him the first true freshman in American history to qualify for Nationals.

Carl Fronhofer NEW YORK -- Carl Fronhofer, an assistant coach with the wrestling program the last three years, has been named Columbia's new Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling, Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Director, Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education announced today. "I am thrilled we were able to promote Carl. He is an excellent leader and teacher, who has mentored and coached some of our top wrestlers in the upper weight classes over the past three years," Murphy said. "He is an outstanding recruiter who understands Columbia and The Ivy League. Most importantly, Carl has built strong relationships with our wrestling student-athletes and alumni over the past few years. He was a natural and perfect fit." Fronhofer, a former All-American at the University of Pittsburgh, came to Columbia in August 2008 after two seasons as the top assistant at Bloomsburg University. Prior to his time with the Huskies, Fronhofer spent three seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. During his coaching tenure, Fronhofer helped coach five of his student-athletes to All-American honors. "I am truly privileged to have the opportunity to lead the Columbia Wrestling program," said Fronhofer. "I look forward to continued success, and that success begins now. I'm extremely excited to begin July recruiting. It is going to be a great summer." Fronhofer accumulated a record of 123-39 while wrestling for Pitt, ranking third in the Panthers' record book for wins. During that span, Fronhofer qualified for the NCAA Championships each of his four years. He capped his illustrious career by earning All-America honors as a senior, after reaching the NCAA finals at 174 pounds. By doing so, he became the first All-American for the Panthers in three years, and was the first NCAA finalist for the program in 13 years. That same season, Fronhofer was named Academic All-American, and the 2003 Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year.

Related Link: Grade Level Rankings Though summer is just a couple of weeks old, July is right upon us. It is time to start thinking about the 2011-2012 wrestling season. As the official contact period for NCAA Division I programs with prospective Class of 2012 student-athletes begins, the time is upon us to establish the initial graduating class rankings for the year. As always, the senior class (now Class of 2012) expands to a Top 100 ranking, 50 wrestlers will be ranked in both the classes of 2013 and 2014, 25 incoming freshmen from the Class of 2015 will be ranked, while 15 junior high wrestlers representing graduation in 2016 and beyond are ranked. Class of 2012 Taylor Massa (Photo/MichiganGrappler.com)A quartet of rising seniors has separated from the pack heading into the mid-summer period. Leading the pack is Taylor Massa (St. Johns, Mich.). This three-time state champion has a high school record of 179 wins against zero losses, and is already a two-time FILA Junior National freestyle champion. This past year, he won the "Olympic weight class" of 163 pounds in April and earned the Junior World Team spot at the Trials in May. In addition, Massa has earned a pair of double championships at the Cadet Nationals, was a double All-American last summer at the Junior Nationals, and is a four-time Super 32 Challenge placewinner (third, second, second, third). Second in the rankings is three-time state champion Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point, Ind.). For his high school career, he has a record of 124-2, and is undefeated the last two years. Tsirtsis is already a three-time Fargo All-American in freestyle (fourth and second as a Cadet, third as a Junior). He also is a two-time FILA Cadet Nationals champion, two-time FILA Junior Nationals placewinner, a two-time Super 32 Challenge runner-up, and a two-time FloNationals champion. Mark Grey (Photo/Bob Tuneberg, BuckeyeWrestling.com)Rounding out the quartet of wrestlers is Jimmy Gulibon (Derry Area, Pa.) and Mark Grey (Blair Academy, N.J.). Gulibon, a three-time state champion, has a career high school record of 111-3. During the senior season, he will be seeking a repeat Walsh Ironman title, a fourth state title, and to become only the fourth ever to win four titles at the POWERade. This past May, Grey joined Massa as a member of the FILA Junior World Team when he won the 121-pound weight class at the FILA Junior World Team Trials. During the coming year, Grey will seek to become a four-time National Prep champion, and the first wrestler to ever win four titles at the Beast of the East. Already in his career, Grey has earned double All-American honors three times in Fargo (twice as a Cadet and last year as a Junior). Among the InterMat Top 100 wrestlers, Ohio has the most ranked with 14 in all, nine of them in the Top 50. Next in the list is Pennsylvania with 10, followed by Iowa and Illinois with nine each, Minnesota with eight, while California and Michigan have seven each ranked. Perennial power St. Paris Graham, Ohio leads the way with four ranked wrestlers -- No. 21 Huston Evans, No. 44 Isaac Jordan, No. 47 Ryan Taylor, and No. 65 Case Garrison; Brandon, Fla. has a trio of wrestlers ranked -- No. 9 Tyler Liberatore, No. 13 Rossi Bruno, and No. 36 Clark Glass; while multiple programs have a pair ranked. Class of 2013 Bo Jordan (Photo/Kevin Schlosser, BuckeyeWrestling.com)The oldest son of St. Paris Graham head coach Jeff Jordan, Bo Jordan has established himself as the leader of the pack in the rising juniors group with a very impressive first two years of high school. In his two year career, Jordan has amassed 85 wins against just one loss, which came during his freshman season to Nate Skonieczny in the Top Gun final and was avenged in the state semifinals. He has two state titles and was a Walsh Ironman champion this past year. Rounding out the top five are Brooks Black (Blair Academy, N.J.), Ben Whitford (St. Johns, Mich.), Brandon Jeske (Cox, Va.), and Cody Wiercioch (Charleroi, Pa.). Fifteen wrestlers from Pennsylvania (8) and Ohio (7) make up the bulk of the 50 wrestlers featured in this class ranking. Five wrestlers are from New Jersey, while four each are from Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri. A trio of the wrestlers in the ranking each attends St. Edward, Ohio and St. Johns, Michigan. With each also having a pair of Class of 2012 wrestlers in the Top 100, both programs have five ranked wrestlers in the upper two grades. Ranked for St. Edward are No. 12 Dean Heil, No. 18 Domenic Abounader, and No. 35 Edgar Bright; while No. 3 Ben Whitford, No. 25 Jacob Schmitt, and No. 38 Josh Pennell are raked for St. Johns. Class of 2014 Chance MarstellerThere is absolutely zero equivocation about the wrestler that heads the group that just completed their freshman year of high school. Chance Marsteller (Kennard-Dale, Pa.) finished the year undefeated at 42-0, and dominated his way to a POWERade championship as well as a state title. Last summer, Marsteller was a Cadet National All-American in Greco-Roman and a freestyle champion. Having spent significant time at the Olympic Training Center, and coming off of an undefeated Cadet National Duals in both styles, look for Marsteller to dominate his way to double Cadet National titles later in July. Rounding out the top five of a very impressive group in this class is Kyle Synder (Good Counsel, Maryland), Solomon Chisko (Canon-McMillan, Pa.), Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), and Bryce Brill (Marmion Academy, Ill.). Snyder was undefeated at 215 pounds, while winning titles at the Beast of the East, Mount Mat Madness, and National Prep Championships. Chisko finished third in the state as a freshman 130 pound wrestler, was a POWERade runner-up, and third at the Super 32 Challenge. Nevills was a state champion at 285 pounds in the single class California state tournament, and finished runner-up at the Cheesehead. After a Cadet National freestyle runner-up finish last summer, Brill had an impressive freshman year anchored by titles at the Dvorak and state tournament. Blair Academy, N.J. has an awesome group in this grade with four of its wrestlers ranked -- No. 9 Joey McKenna, No. 13 Patrick Coover, No. 18 Dylan Milonas, and No. 27 P.J. Klee. When considering the presence of Mark Grey, Todd Preston, and Brooks Black in the Class of 2012 and 2013 rankings, the Buccaneers have seven ranked wrestlers in their program. Class of 2015 Zahid ValenciaThe excellent feature written by InterMat senior writer Andrew Hipps provided a profile on some of the top incoming freshmen for the coming season. Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Calif.) is currently the top incoming freshman, and has already shown signs of positive success against high school competition. This includes the October 2010 Southwest Kickoff Classic title in Las Vegas as well as a fifth place finish at the 2010 Flo Nationals. Some of the top wrestlers not featured in the earlier article include: Dylan Lucas (Brandon, Fla.), who was a state champion as an eighth-grader for Tampa Bay Christian and a Cadet National Greco-Roman champion last summer; the trio of Michael Kemerer, Josh Maruca, and Josh Shields that won PJW 13/14 division state titles this past year and will all compete for Franklin Regional, Pa. this fall; and Tristan Rifenburg (Norwich, N.Y.) who is already a two-time state finalist before even entering ninth grade. Class of 2016+ Mark Hall (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)With one season remaining before entering the ninth grade, Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) already has accomplishments that many wrestlers can only dream of when they exit high school. After a state runner-up finish at 119 pounds while competing for Ryle, Ky. during the 09-10 season, Hall transferred onto the nation's top-ranked team, Apple Valley, and was a key part of their success this past season. He earned a state title with a 46-3 record to end the high school season ranked No. 16 at 130 pounds as a seventh-grader. Already this offseason, he has added to his impressive wrestling resume with a dominant age group championship at the Ohio Tournament of Champions, and an undefeated record in both styles at the Schoolboy National Duals. The next three wrestlers in the rankings are Mason Manville (Virginia), Aaron Pico (California), and Luke Pletcher (Pennsylvania). Manville has won two legs of the Roller World of Wrestling Triple Crown each of the last two years, including back-to-back titles at the Tulsa Nationals, and is also a two-time Super 32 Challenge junior high division champion. He dominated his way to double titles at Schoolboy Nationals this week, where he did not surrender a single point in 10 matches. Pico was a Roller World of Wrestling Triple Crown winner in 2009-10 while competing in the 12-and-under division, and was a dominant champion in the 15-and-under division at the Tulsa Kickoff Classic and Tulsa Nationals during 2010-11. Along with winning the Super 32 Challenge junior high division title this past year, Pletcher won a fourth PJW championship -- this time in the 13/14 division; with a championship next year, he would join Jimmy Gulibon in rarified air as a five-time PJW state champion.

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! Join Takedown Wrestling Host Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News. Listen in this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to 12 Noon ET. This week's guests include: 9:01 Steve Martin, Head coach of Old Dominion 9:20 John Stutzman, Head coach Bloomsburg 9:40 JT Weiss, Head coach of Harvard, 9:50 Max Muscle Minute with Ty Barkley 10:01 Pat Santoro, Head coach of Lehigh. 10:20 Leo Kocher, Head coach University of Chicago 10:40 Joe Bastardi, Penn State Wrestling Insider 10:50 Amy Ruble Wildrose Casino and Resort in Emmetsburg, Iowa Join us LIVE 9 to 11 a.m. CST for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio App. on KXNO.com and Takedownradio.com.

Eric Braley of Around The Corner Productions and radio personality Brian Marshall will be radio show guests this week. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. “On the Mat” is archived on themat.com. Braley, along with partner Michael Rueber, founded Around The Corner Productions in 2006 while they were students at University of Northern Iowa. Their company is a full service production house serving the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area with customized video production services. Marshall is a radio personality and professional wrestling advocate. He will be discussing the events taking place during the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame weekend July 22-23.

Andy Hrovat, a 2008 Olympian, has spent most of his life competing in wrestling events year-round. He has traveled all across the world and represented the U.S. at the World Championships and Olympic Games. Andy Hrovat (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)Now the 31-year-old has made the decision to retire from competition. "I'm retiring from wrestling," Hrovat told Flowrestling.com's Mark Bader via Skype. "I'm going to start a new phase of my life, take on the whole coaching role and make the transition." Hrovat, who wrestled collegiately at the University of Michigan, made his first U.S. World Team in 2006 at 84 kilos. Two years later, Hrovat represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Hrovat has battled injuries and disappointments over the past two years. Last year he failed to make the U.S. National Team for the first time in five years. This year he failed to place at the U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials. Hrovat was coached by Overtime founder Sean Bormet, who recently accepted an assistant coaching position at Michigan. "I knew if something didn't go well at the Trials that I would have to reevaluate everything," said Hrovat. "I talked to Sean the night after the Trials. He basically told me the same thing ... just to evaluate what's going, how everything is going, and what my motivation is. It was never really the lack of motivation or the want to wrestle. I want to win. I want to win a World title. I want to win an Olympic title. But you never know when your body is just going to give out on you." Andy Hrovat battles Quentin Wright in the first round of the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Hrovat spent nine months training in Russia this past season. He wrestled in six tournaments in Russia. "It was great," said Hrovat of being in Russia. "I love the fact that I was able to go over there. I had a blast with the training, meeting the new people, trying to learn the language as much as I could, and just being in a different environment. Of course, I knew it was going to help me in my future, just being there around some of the best wrestlers in the world. You're going to learn something. You're going to learn how to train people. You're going to learn certain techniques. You're going to learn strategies. I took everything away from it." Hrovat is thankful for all the support he has had along the way. "I just want to thank everybody who has supported me," said Hrovat. "New York Athletic Club, Michigan, Overtime, USA Wrestling, Flowrestling, Cliff Keen, ASICS, my family, the Churella family. There have been so many good people out there that have helped me. Mike Novogratz, Chael Sonnen helped me a lot with my Russia trips this past year. I just want to thank everybody. It was a good time."

Air Force wrestling head coach Joel Sharratt announced today the arrival of the Class of 2015. This year's incoming freshman class features 11 wrestlers, including four entries from the Academy Prep School. Featured in the group are four high school state champions and an NCWA All-American. “We are excited to welcome all our incoming cadet wrestlers in the class of 2015,” said Sharratt. “These guys bring in a wealth of talent and accolades that together combine for 27 state placing honors and nine athletes who have more than 100 high school victories in their prep career.” “I am very proud of the effort put forth by the Academy, my staff and these athletes to close out our 2015 recruiting class,” continued Sharratt. “The Air Force Academy application process takes a lot of time and effort and so many people play a part of the successful completion of each cadet's application. It is exciting for me to see the way our admissions office worked hand in hand to close out the appointment offers for each of our young men, as well as the yeoman's effort by Trapper Carpenter and Sam Barber to get it done.” “In our effort to add depth at strategic weights we also focused on recruiting the right guys with the right work ethic in our 2015 class,” said Sharratt. “In 2011-12 we are looking to raise the level of intensity in all aspects of the program and these young men will have to be ready to battle when we kick things off. They have the talent and we expect them to be ready to meet the challenges ahead of them in our training and competition.” Following is a listing of this year's newcomers, along with a brief summary of their previous athletic accomplishments: Jack Carda, Pukwana, S.D. – Two-time state medalist, including a runner-up finish … career record of 108-30. Daniel Cotton, Phoenix, Ariz. – Three-time state medalist, including two runner-up finishes … career record of 117-10. Jeremy Delzer, Altus, Okla. – Three-time state medalist, including a runner-up finish. Cody Hancock, Phelan, Calif. – Attended the Academy Prep School … finished in the top 12 in the state in 2010 … career record of 160-41. Joshua Hastings, Pleasant Hill, Mo. – Three-time state medalist, including two runner-up finishes … career record of 148-33. Dalton Henderson, Owatonna, Minn. – Attended the Academy Prep School … three-time state medalist … state champion … career record of 143-29 … All-American at NCWA Nationals in 2011, finishing as runner-up. Dylan Hyder, Yelm, Wash. – Four-time state medalist … two-time state champion … fifth-place at NHSCA Junior Nationals in 2010 … career record of 124-11. Roger Jones II, Brandon, Fla. – Attended the Academy Prep School … state qualifier at 135 pounds in 2010 … career record of 103-32. Elijah Levee, Mandeville, La. – Four-time state champion … career record of 205-31 … 129 career falls. Carter McElhany, Colorado Springs, Colo. – Four-time state medalist … two-time state champion … 2008 USA Wrestling All-American … career record of 157-8. Garrett Wells, Corvallis, Ore. – Attended the Academy Prep School … placed fourth in state in 2010 … compiled a season record of 37-5 … two-time conference champion. Air Force Wrestling Class of 2015 Name Hometown (High School) Jack Carda Pukwana, S.D. (Kimball/White Lake HS) Daniel Cotton Phoenix, Ariz. (Sandra Day O'Connor HS) Jeremy Delzer Altus, Okla. (Altus HS) Cody Hancock Phelan, Calif. (Martin Luther King HS/AFA Prep) Joshua Hastings Pleasant Hill, Mo. (Pleasant Hills HS) Dalton Henderson Owatonna, Minn. (Owatonna HS/AFA Prep) Dylan Hyder Yelm, Wash. (Yelm HS) Roger Jones II Brandon, Fla. (Brandon HS/AFA Prep) Elijah Levee Mandeville, La. (Mandeville HS) Carter McElhany Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coronado HS) Garrett Wells Corvallis, Ore. (Crescent Valley HS/AFA Prep)

Northwestern Head Wrestling Coach, Drew Pariano, has announced the addition of Bill Scherr as the Director of Olympic Development for the Wildcat Wrestling Club. Scherr, a former World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998. Bill was instrumental in Northwestern's resurgence as he has coached Jake Herbert to multiple NCAA Championships as well as a World Silver Medal in 2009. Scherr also mentored Dustin Fox to the 2008 NCAA and Big Ten Title as well as Mike Tamillow and Matt Delguyd to Big Ten Championships. Scherr will be directly involved with the 2012 Olympic Development of the Wildcat Wrestling Club in conjunction with the greater Chicago area. Scherr will work with current Olympic hopeful Brandon Precin (55kg) as well as Junior World Team member Lee Munster (84kg). In addition, Scherr will be training Olympic hopefuls who will be moving into the Chicago area in preparation for the Olympic Trials which are scheduled to take place in Iowa City, April 21st and 22nd, 2012. Scherr comes to the Wildcat Wrestling Club from the financial sector where he is a vice president at Goldman Sachs & Co. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1984 where he was a three-time All-American and 1984 NCAA National Champion. He received his MBA in 1989 from the Indiana University Kelley Graduate School of Business. While at Indiana, he served as assistant wrestling coach from 1985-89. In 1989 he helped coach the Hoosiers to an undefeated 14-0 record and a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships. Bill Scherr's Wrestling Resumé 1985 World Champion; five-time World Medalist 1988 Olympic Bronze Medalist Distinguished Member of National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Class of 1998 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2003. 1984 NCAA National Champion; three-time All-American 1980 National Junior USA Wrestling (USAW) Champion Six-time USA Senior Freestyle National Champion (1982, '87, '88, '89, '90, '92). National Senior Greco-Roman Champion 1988 Pan American Games Champion 1990 Goodwill Games Gold Medalist International Experience Bill won five consecutive world-level medals during his wrestling career, including a World Championship in 1985 and an Olympic bronze in 1988. He has been an active member of the U.S. and world wrestling communities for more than 20 years, serving as a distinguished coach at the collegiate and national level. In addition to competing in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Bill has a personal connection to the Olympic movement and was a chairperson for the 2016 Chicago Olympic Bid. Professionally, Bill has more than 15 years of business and investment-banking experience. He is currently a vice president in Goldman Sachs' Private Wealth Management group and has been with the company since 1990.

EWING, N.J. -- After 35 seasons of guiding one of the most successful wrestling programs in the history of the sport, The College of New Jersey's David “Ice” Icenhower is retiring. David IcenhowerIcenhower made the announcement official during the annual Lions' Wrestling Camp where he was surrounded by the current team as well as a number of alumni, who coach throughout the state and bring their high school teams to the camp run by their mentor. “I have always believed in gut feelings and my gut told me it was time to retire and bring some young blood into TCNJ's wrestling program,” Icenhower said. “My family, TCNJ, and wrestling are the three dominant forces in my life. I have been blessed as all three have been great to me. The young men who have wrestled for me have made it a memorable journey. I look forward to watching the Lions' wrestling team roar in the future.” Icenhower took over the program in the 1976-77 season and guided the Lions to unprecedented heights. He left his mark both on the Ewing campus and at the national level as he is only one of four coaches at any NCAA level to surpass 500 wins. Icenhower finished his career with a tremendous 535-80-4 dual-meet record and ranks second in career wins at the Division III level. He trails only Jare Klein from Olivet College (569), while Oregon State's Dale Thomas is the all-time leader with 616 victories. Icenhower does hold an impressive edge over those in the 500-win club leading the way in winning percentage at 86.7 percent. He joined that exclusive club by keeping the Lions ranked among the nation's elite year-after-year. Icenhower boasted six undefeated seasons and reached the 20-win plateau three times, including a school record 21 wins in 2003-04. He won five national championships, including the College's first in any sport in 1979. The other titles came in 1981, 1984, 1985, and 1987 and he led the Lions to top-five finishes on 20 occasions. One of the more magical nights of his career came on November 7, 2009 when he not only gained his 500th career win, but helped the program record its 600th victory. Following the win, he was joined at center mat by several hundred alumni and former Lion coaches Mike Curry and Dick Williams. “'Ice' has served the college with the utmost pride, integrity and professionalism during the past 35 years. He was the driving force in directing and leading our wrestling program to national prominence,” noted TCNJ Director of Athletics and Recreation John Castaldo. “Year in and year out his teams ranked among the nation's elite and his outstanding record speaks for itself. He is surely well respected by his colleagues at TCNJ, in the community, in the state, and on the national scene. We wish him all the best in his retirement years.” During Icenhower's career, he was named the Division III Coach-of-the-Year in 1979 and 1987 and has produced 129 All-Americans, including 20 Division III individual champions and one Division I titlist. His wrestlers also shined in the classroom as 27 were cited as NWCA Scholar-Athlete honorees since 1997. Under Icenhower, the Lions won 26 Metropolitan Conference championships, including 14 in a row from 1984 until 1998. He was named the MET Coach of the Year 14 times, with the most recent coming in 2007. In 1982, Icenhower became the only Division III coach to serve as a head coach in the prestigious East-West All-Star Meet. The honor repeated itself in 1997 when he was once again tapped to serve as a coach for the All-Star Meet, becoming the first Division III coach to serve twice on the staff of the East-West All-Star Meet. At the 1999 NCAA Championships, Icenhower was inducted into the NWCA Division III Hall of Fame and joined an elite club of just four coaches in all divisions that have coached over 100 NCAA All-Americans. Icenhower's teams also won 10 New Jersey Athletic Conference championships outright and tied for another, posting a 56-5 league mark during that 14-year period (1980–93). In 1988, TCNJ also won the inaugural NJAC postseason tournament. A 1971 graduate of Lehigh University and a product of the school's wrestling program, Icenhower was a captain on the team that finished seventh at the NCAA Tournament. He was twice a member of the NCAA Wrestling Sports Committee and has chaired its Division III subcommittee. Icenhower also served two terms on the National Wrestling Coaches Association Board of Directors. In 1986, he served as tournament director for the NCAA Division III Championships, which was hosted by TCNJ. The College has started the process of naming Icenhower's successor. His retirement is effective as of September 1.

Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler. NCAA mat champ. Long-time wrestling coach and clinician. All of these describe the wrestling career of Doug Blubaugh, who was killed in a motorcycle accident Monday, May 16, 2011 in Tonkawa, Okla. at age 76. However, there is so much more to the life of Douglas Morlan Blubaugh, on and off the mat. A quick look at an incredible life and career Doug Blubaugh was born December 31, 1934 in north-central Oklahoma, growing up on a farm between Tonkawa and Ponca City. Competing on the Ponca City High wrestling team, Blubaugh won the 141-pound title at the 1953 Oklahoma state championships. He then wrestled at Oklahoma State, where he was a three-time NCAA All-American (1955-1957), winning the 157-pound title his senior year at the 1957 NCAAs in Pittsburgh with a decisive 9-3 finals win over Mike Rodriguez of the University of Michigan. Doug BlubaughAfter graduating from Oklahoma State in 1957, Blubaugh focused on his freestyle career, winning two National AAU freestyle titles, and earning gold at the Pan-American Games in Chicago in 1959. Securing a place on the 1960 U.S. Olympic team after defeating Phil Kinyon in a series of bruising battles, Blubaugh made a name for himself at the Rome Olympics, pinning the undefeated world champion from Iran, Emam-Ali Habibi, and ultimately going on to win the gold medal at 160.5 pounds in freestyle. Blubaugh was named the World's Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1960. Having concluded his on-the-mat career, Blubaugh chose to share his knowledge and expertise in wrestling with future generations, as a coach, and as a clinician at wrestling camps across the nation. The Oklahoma native served as an assistant wrestling coach at a number of colleges before becoming head wrestling coach at Indiana University 40 years ago. He also was head coach of the U.S. team at the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Columbia. Later that year, he was awarded the Wrestling Coach of the Year by the U.S. Wrestling Coaches Foundation. Doug Blubaugh was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1979. Last fall, he and fellow Olympic gold medalist Shelby Wilson were honored by their alma mater, Ponca City High School, with the unveiling of life-size bronze statues in their Olympic singlets which are now on display at the school. On the evening of May 16, Blubaugh was riding his motorcycle when he was struck by a pickup truck that ran a stop sign in Tonkawa, the town he called home. He was knocked off the bike, fully conscious, and initially refused medical treatment, insisting he could walk home. He died on the way to the hospital in Blackwell, Okla. He was survived by five children -- a first set of twin sons, Dale Edward Blubaugh and Dean William Blubaugh; a second set of twin sons, Dann Morlan Blubaugh and Dana Owen Blubaugh; and one daughter, Dawn Marie Blubaugh Hawkins, along with their spouses, and ten grandchildren. Doug Blubaugh"Doug is a treasure to the wrestling history and heritage in the United States," said National Wrestling Hall of Fame Director Lee Roy Smith. "We suffered a great loss." Doug Blubaugh was eulogized at a funeral held Saturday, May 21 at First Baptist Church in Ponca City. The Rev. Dr. Clyde Glazener -- a friend of Blubaugh's -- presided over the service, assisted by Shelby Wilson, a fellow 1960 Olympic gold medalist wrestler who is also an ordained minister. After the funeral and burial, there was a dinner at the Ponca City High School. Among the guests who shared their memories of Doug Blubaugh: Grady Peninger, his high school wrestling coach who went to take the helm at Michigan State; fellow Olympian and former mat coach at Wisconsin and Ohio State, Russ Hellickson; and Jim Shields, former Oklahoma State heavyweight All-American, now a high school wrestling coach. Legendary coaches weigh in Upon learning of the death of Doug Blubaugh, some of the greatest coaches in college wrestling offered their thoughts. Dan GableDan Gable, 1972 Olympic gold medalist and all-time great coach at the University of Iowa for more than two decades, told Scott Casber in an audio interview for Takedown Wrestling, "I had nothing but the most respect for Doug Blubaugh. He was immensely important to me in my transition from one level to another as far as getting good. All the time since that, we have both respected each other to the highest end." "Doug Blubaugh was a true Oklahoma State wrestling hero," according to John Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, an NCAA champion wrestler and current head coach of the Cowboys. "He was a tough farm kid who overcame adversity to become the best wrestler in the world. He was a good friend who will be greatly missed." Jack Spates, recently retired head coach at the University of Oklahoma, said this of Blubaugh in an audio interview with Takedown Wrestling's Scott Casber: "He was one of the icons of our sport. He touched a lot of lives. He accomplished things as a competitor that so very, very few people in history could only dream about. So in many ways he was a rich man." Grady Peninger knew Doug Blubaugh as his coach, then as his boss. Peninger was wrestling coach at Ponca City High School when Blubaugh won the Oklahoma state title in 1953 ... then was head coach at Michigan State when his former pupil was an assistant. "Doug was a great person. There wasn't a bad bone in his body," said the former Oklahoma State wrestler-turned-Spartans coach. "He was honest to the point that some people took advantage of him. I felt like he was my own son. Doug always felt hard work would settle everything ... He couldn't have been closer if he'd been my son or my brother. He was just a great friend." The wrestler: Impressive physique, strength ... Ask wrestlers of Doug Blubaugh's era to talk about their late friend, and there are universal comments that seem as if everyone is singing from the same songbook. One issue that many addressed: Blubaugh's impressive physique ... and even more impressive strength. "When I first met him, he was a physical specimen. Carved out of rock," said Jack Duncan, who was introduced to Blubaugh in 1961 at a Grady Peninger-run wrestling camp at Michigan State where the gold medalist was a clinician. Wayne Baughman, a three-time Olympian, NCAA champ for the Oklahoma Sooners, and, for nearly three decades head coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, said, "The first time I remember seeing Doug was when he came to OU to train for the '60 Olympic team. He looked like he was chiseled from a block of granite. He had muscles everywhere, even on his fingers." "I thought I'd been sentenced to death when Port Robertson [Oklahoma wrestling coach] made me Doug's primary workout partner even though I weighed 180 compared to Doug's 160," Baughman continued. "Doug's style was extremely aggressive. He had the hardest head literally, and somewhat figuratively, of anyone I've ever wrestled; and, because of his poor vision, he kept in right in your face. I walked off the mat after every workout feeling as if I'd been the beat up with a jackhammer. I had continuous scrapes, cuts and bruises. He also had the toughest bottom defense I have ever encountered. He was like trying to turn or move a fireplug." Doug Blubaugh pins Emam-Ali HabibiRuss Camilleri, who wrestled on the U.S. Greco-Roman team at the 1960 Olympics, said of Doug Blubaugh, "Strongest guy in the world. In that match with Habibi, (Blubaugh) went into a high bridge, put Habibii on his back, and squeezed, squeezed, squeezed. There was no way Habibi could've gotten out of it. Doug was just too strong." "I wrestled him one time," said Camilleri. "I was 171, he was one weight class down from me. Man, was he strong!" Shelby Wilson, who was a teammate of Blubaugh at Ponca City High School, as well as at Oklahoma State, and then at the 1960 Olympics -- and was a fellow gold medal-winner in freestyle -- described his long-time friend's wrestling style compared to his own: "He was a freight-train guy, very much a physical-type wrestler. I was more of a finesse guy. He used leverage with more power. That said, coming from the same background -- same schools, same coaches -- we both had been brought up on the importance of good, solid position wrestling." One prime example of Doug Blubaugh's toughness: his series of freestyle matches with Phil Kinyon, a U.S. Navy veteran who was enrolled at Oklahoma State. The two Cowboys of different eras (mid 1950s for Blubaugh; early '60s for Kinyon) were on a collision course to see who would wrestle for the U.S. at the 1960 Olympics. Doug Blubaugh wrestles Phil KinyonRuss Camilleri described the two rivals as being similar in a number of ways beyond college alma mater. "Both were compact, muscular and strong. Phil had dark hair, Doug had sandy hair ..." said Camilleri. "They had wrestled each other so often, they knew each other well. Despite the matches ending in draws without a score, they were NOT boring matches. Plenty of tough action." Here's how Wayne Baughman described the Blubaugh/Kinyon battles in his tribute to the late gold medalist in the June 15, 2011 issue of Amateur Wrestling News: "After having battled to numerous draws in previous matches, a winner/U.S. team member had to be determined. The mat was placed under the biggest shade tree on campus, removed from the entire athletic complex. The battle was waged. It was not pretty, or a disappointment to anyone in attendance, except Kinyon and (Myron) Roderick [Oklahoma State head coach]; and they certainly had nothing to be ashamed of. It was like two raging rams charging directly into each other over and over. At the end of the match, Doug was bleeding profusely from his face and forehead and Kinyon's eye was swollen shut. Doug won but it could have gone either way." A muscular work ethic Another aspect that those who knew Doug Blubaugh always mention is his incredible work ethic. Blubaugh himself cited it in an interview with this writer for an InterMat Rewind feature commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Olympics. "Thank God I grew up on a wheat farm in Oklahoma that didn't have electricity or running water 'til during World War II," Blubaugh disclosed. "Doing farm chores built a work ethic. It was hard work. I never lifted weights -- couldn't afford them -- but hefted bales of hay. Strength from working on a farm is different; you get 'endurance strength' from farm work." "His work ethic was unbelievable," said Fran McCann, younger brother of Blubaugh's Olympic teammate Terry McCann. "He did everything for his wrestling camps, and, I mean everything, himself. It came from his farming background." "He would not let anything interfere with his work. He never complained." "He overcame so much," said Shelby Wilson. "He was definitely not a quitter." "We were both Oklahoma farm boys. Things like integrity, honesty, hard work were essentially who you are." Jack Duncan put it very directly: "Doug's work ethic? Second to none." The master clinician After winning the gold medal in 1960, Doug Blubaugh started the next chapter of his life -- sharing his knowledge and love for the sport as a coach, and as a clinician at wrestling camps. Jack Duncan enjoyed a 50-year friendship with Blubaugh that started at the Michigan State wrestling camp run by the Spartan head coach Grady Peninger ... and continued through decades of wrestling camps throughout the nation. "I took 17 kids to that wrestling camp," said the former high school wrestling coach in Pulaski, Va. "We became really good friends in just a week-and-a-half." "I asked if he'd come to Pulaski, he said he would, and he did. People really loved him." "Wherever he would hold camps, we'd go," said Duncan. "Because of Doug, my kids were very successful. We had a record of 220-something and 18." Duncan and Blubaugh formed a partnership to start camps in both northern Virginia as well as in the Richmond area. "We had kids from everywhere -- Cuba, California," according to Duncan. While coaching at Indiana University, Doug Blubaugh established his Top of the World wrestling camp outside Bloomington. Fran McCann, who was head wrestling coach at Indiana State at the time, said, "I had kids at ISU who worked at Doug's camps, and they thought the world of him." Doug Blubaugh and Shelby Wilson"No doubt about it, he was very much a hands-on coach," said McCann. "He loved to see kids improve." Shelby Wilson worked with his friend as a fellow clinician at wrestling camps as recently as this past year. "He trusted me to teach the way he taught," said the Ponca City native. "We both focused on the basics." "Doug traveled the country to help people with wrestling. That was very much his life." "Even though he was 76, he continued to conduct his camps," said Chuck Ford, a former Indiana high school coach who worked at Blubaugh's camps. "He had a huge group of followers that just wouldn't let him go." Jack Duncan gave another reason why Doug Blubaugh was still in demand as a clinician: "Doug could really relate to kids. Likewise, they knew who he was, and respected him." One of the thousands of young wrestlers who participated in a Doug Blubaugh wrestling camp was Matt Hamill. The Cincinnati area native was a three-time NCAA Division III champ at Rochester Institute of Technology who is now a big name in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships), despite being born deaf. Here's what Hamill said upon learning of the death of the man he had first met at a clinic a quarter-century ago: "Doug Blubaugh, my great friend, mentor and master since 5th grade passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident ... Doug dedicated all his sweat and blood to see me become successful. To this day Doug has been influential in my life and most recently spent a week at my house sharpening up my wrestling for my last fight." Ken Chertow, former U.S. Olympic wrestler, and currently one of the most successful operators of wrestling camps in the nation, wrote this in the foreword of Matt Krumrie's 2010 book The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps: "Though I attended a variety of camps, I chose to attend one specific camp consistently every year from seventh grade through high school and that was Doug Blubaugh's camp. I connected well with coach Blubaugh and chose to work with him every summer. As an NCAA and Olympic champion he was clearly a dominant athlete, but he was also an outstanding teacher of wrestling and a no-nonsense man. He had a clear understanding of what techniques he wanted the campers to focus on and we drilled them repetitively and intensely daily. He also gave us a camp notebook that was very helpful to retaining and developing the moves I learned at camp. To this day I have clear recollections of learning many different techniques at coach Blubaugh's camp ...I successfully executed many of the moves that coach Blubaugh taught me throughout my career at the highest levels of competition. I have also passed along these moves to my students." As Shelby Wilson said, "He was a great coach. He chose to make wrestling his life. He was very much a professional wrestling coach -- he took it very seriously, and gave it his all." Blubaugh's wrestlers speak up Doug Blubaugh came to Indiana University in 1971, serving one year as assistant coach to long-time head coach (and two-time NCAA champ for the Hoosiers), Charlie McDaniel ... then taking the helm for twelve seasons (1972-1984). Blubaugh's time at the Big Ten school in Bloomington was a challenging one. While at Indiana, his teams compiled a 102-144-8 record, for a .415 winning percentage. Fran McCannFran McCann can offer unique perspective on Doug Blubaugh. In addition to being the brother of the late Terry McCann, Fran was head wrestling coach at cross-state rival Indiana State University who coached against Blubaugh and his Hoosiers. "I think he must have been frustrated by some kids' lack of effort," said Fran McCann. "They didn't give him the respect he deserved, and took advantage of his good-naturedness." That said, a number of Hoosier wrestlers who competed for Blubaugh publicly stated their appreciation for their college coach after his passing. Sam Komar was arguably the most accomplished wrestler during Blubaugh's tenure at Indiana. He was a two-time Big Ten champ (1975, 1977) and two-time NCAA All-American, placing fourth at 134 pounds in 1976, and making it to the 142-pound finals at the 1977 NCAAs. "In my opinion, he affected more people to aspire to the sport of wrestling than anybody I've ever known," Komar told the Indianapolis Star. "He was timeless with his knowledge of the sport. Anytime something new and creative came along, he was always right there to take advantage of it." "I wrestled for Doug at Indiana, and he was a great man, coach, and friend," according to Rod Chamberlin, who now resides in Florida. "Without question or debate, Doug was absolutely the best clinician. He had a knack for breaking it down and showing the proper technique. I loved you Doug, and you will be missed." "I am a better man today because of all the love and butt whuppings on the mat with Doug," said former IU wrestler Brent Lee Biddle. "He was like a second father to me and always had time for me even years after I was gone and no longer wrestling. Today there are three beautiful blonde young ladies in the world and if it not for Doug inadvertently introducing me to my future wife, they would never have been. I will miss that man with the hard shell about him and the heart as soft and pure as gold. I love you coach!" Herbert Danica emphasized Blubaugh's ability to shape his wrestlers in positive ways beyond wrestling: "I had the privilege of being a member of the Indiana wrestling team, 1971 - 74. Unfortunately, I did not possess sufficient skills to be successful as a collegiate athlete. Even still, Coach Blubaugh had a major impact on my life as he taught me how to be a man. He treated me and every other team member with the same level of respect. He was a true mentor and a friend. He led by example and always made his expectations clear. Every young man who had the same honor as I in spending time with Coach Blubaugh benefited from the experience in that he grew a person and learned how to conduct themselves with honor, dignity and self-respect." Danica had a special message for the children of his college coach: "As an adult, I can count on one hand the number of people who had a positive influence on my life, changing the course of what could have been. Of those, your father was one of the most important. Be assured, I am only one of many. You have much to be proud of. Cherish your memories and legacy." A beloved figure Doug Blubaugh had a way about him that won over individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you first met him 50 years ago or 15 minutes ago, you felt as if he had been a friend for life. Doug Blubaugh at the 1960 Olympic Games"I first met Doug Blubaugh last year, when he and my friend Shelby Wilson (his 1960 Olympic team mate) visited New Jersey for a coach's clinic," recalled Dennis Damm, who also counted the late Terry McCann among his friends. "I was surprised by Mr. Blubaugh's quiet, initially shy demeanor. However, during our lunch together, he became animated and humorous as he told stories about the golden days of amateur wrestling. He obviously loved his sport." "After I sent him photos of us taken on that day in March, 2010, he responded with a letter of appreciation. I sent him a Christmas card in December and he replied with a letter which said, 'Thank you for your kindness to me. Your friend, Doug.' I thank God for granting me the opportunity to become acquainted with this great man before he was taken away. He was a gentle giant who was not only an amateur wrestling legend, but also a fine human being." Blubaugh's thoughtfulness was also cited by Mike Wolinsky, who posted the following at a website for the Indiana University community to express condolences: "Doug Blubaugh touched my life as a sophomore at Indiana University when I was assigned the task of publicizing the Indiana wrestling program. I worked with him for three years and he took me under his wing like part of his own family. Doug went out of his way to call Ohio University on behalf so that I could pursue a Master's Degree in Sports Administration. He was all that was good about coaching and how he treated people. I always appreciated the fact that he was so humble and had a terrific work ethic. I am a better person today because of my time spent with Doug." "Obviously Doug Blubaugh will always be remembered as a great wrestler," former wrestler/coach Wayne Baughman told Amateur Wrestling News. "However, Doug's wrestling accomplishments are far overshadowed by the wonderful person he was. Doug was a great coach, clinician, role model, mentor, hero and friend to many wrestlers, coaches, officials and fans. I don't believe any other wrestling personality has had more influence on so many wrestling people as Doug Blubaugh." Baughman continued, "Where Doug was really most successful, and at his best, was as a wrestling clinician and an ambassador for wrestling. Doug Blubaugh loved the sport of wrestling and all the people involved ... Everyone I know loved and respected Doug, from little kids to we 'old has been's' and everybody in between." "Doug is so much more than his accomplishments," said Wayne Boyd, the 1969 NCAA champion wrestler from Temple University. "He was a National champion, Olympic champion, coach, clinician and celebrity. But he should be remembered for the man he was at the time of his passing: humble, strong ... A human being I've known, loved and respected for over 40 years. Smart, trusting, kind, generous and a Superman with Coke bottle lenses that allowed him to see the world just a little differently than the rest of us." One of the most touching tributes came from Terry McCann's widow, Lucille, who traveled from California to Oklahoma for Doug Blubaugh's funeral. She told of an incident at the 1960 Olympics that speaks to the character of the man who passed away in May: "Doug Blubaugh was the warmest and most sensitive man I have ever met. He was very instrumental in helping Terry to win a gold medal. The night before his final's match, Terry was depressed and unsure he would be able to win. Doug followed Terry all night and talked to him and reassured him he could do it. Doug told him he couldn't let everyone down who had helped him get this far. Doug had given Terry the confidence he needed to get the job done. I'm happy to have had Doug in my life. I will miss him." Fran McCann echoed the sentiments of his sister-in-law Lucille McCann. "Terry was an aggressive-type guy. Doug was always there as a calming influence. When we'd be working out, Terry tended to be impatient, while Doug was very positive, very reassuring." "Doug was a big, strong guy, very tough on the mat," Fran McCann continued. "Off the mat, a complete gentleman." "Doug never felt he was bigger than the sport," said McCann. "He respected the sport. People identify with that, regardless of their age. They saw that in him, and held him in high esteem because of it." "He had the respect of just about everyone he came across," said Shelby Wilson. "He was a very humble guy." Doug BlubaughFriends described Doug Blubaugh as being incredibly generous ... and not just with his time, as he worked wrestling camps and made appearances for the sport. "Even if he wasn't rich, he would share what he had," said Wilson. "He'd give you the shirt off his back." More than one individual interviewed for this tribute said, if you needed a place to stay, Doug Blubaugh would insist you stay at his home. His generosity extended to sharing friendships. "Thanks to Doug, I met Shelby (Wilson), Myron (Roderick), and so many other wrestling greats," said Jack Duncan. "He didn't drop names or brag about who he knew. Rather, he was modest about who he wrestled and his accomplishments." Walter Jenny, who knew Blubaugh through Tau Kappa Epsilon said of his fraternity brother, "He exemplified the fraternity's ideals of Charity, Esteem and Love in everything he did. He has been an inspiration to our alumni as well as our younger members as they work their way through college." Retired wrestling coach Jack Duncan said of his friend of 50 years, "He was the greatest ambassador for wrestling, for the state of Oklahoma, and for Oklahoma State." Shelby Wilson may have summed it up best: "He has given more to wrestling than he got from it." To learn more about the three U.S. gold medalists at the 1960 Olympics -- Doug Blubaugh, Terry McCann, and Shelby Wilson -- check out this 2010 InterMat Rewind feature. To see Doug Blubaugh in action, watch this video of the 1956 NCAA finals ... and of the former Cowboy pinning Iran's Habibi at the 1960 Olympics. LINKS: 1956 NCAAs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYdiJxH78oo; 1960 Olympics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9DJ2KVNSTk.

Have you ever seen a 300-pound man attempt a back flip? After the circuit lift many of T.R. Foley's friends couldn't wait to de-robe and get their photo taken.I'd just finished a circuit lift with three-dozen Megatron-sized Mongolian wrestlers and was lying in the grass appealing to all available deities to please repair my quads quickly enough to walk to dinner. Suddenly, in the way you know someone's staring at you from across the room, I was jarred into sitting upright. What greeted me was one of the younger wrestlers, donning no clothes, save his banana-hammock underwear, doing cartwheels and finishing them off by throwing his hands to the sky, and his knees to his chest -- the way an Olympic diver might build momentum from the spring board. Because nobody at camp spoke a lick of English and I was compelled by my good nature to save a life, I said what I was thinking, "Hey! Uh, this guy's not going to ... I mean ... he's not ... c'mon, really guys?" They ignored my appeal. Once more the banana-hammocked hero with thighs too large to sprint trotted down the grass and knocked-off a practice cartwheel and leapt into the air, fingers tickling the sky. By now a crowd of Mongolian wrestlers clad in nothing but their underoos had created a small runway from which the keg-shaped gymnast was going to perform his stunt, and in all likelihood break his neck. My conscience clear, I sat up and waited for the fall. A little more speed, a touch more determination and Boom! a cartwheel into a double-back handspring finished off by a pinwheel-perfect back flip. Whichever God I thought was helping me to push lactic acid from my spindly legs had obviously been pre-occupied in protecting this oversized Dominique Moceanu as he completed his floor routine. I limped to dinner and the big ol' gymnast gave a firm middle finger to the laws of physics. A storm was brewingI'd arrived at the training camp that afternoon from Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, where I'd been staying for a few days as Turtogtokh Luvsandorj set up my arrival at camp. And this wasn't just any ordinary wrestling camp, it was the training camp for Usukhbayar, arguably the most popular wrestler in Mongolia. A four-time Nadaam champion, he's something of an immortal and for good reason. The last time he won Nadaam was 2009 he endured a three-hour semifinals match that only ended when he went belly-to-belly with his opponent. Saying his name lights up a room, he's nothing short of the Michael Jordan of Mongolian Bokh (wrestling). When Turtogotkh dropped me at camp (he was preparing for the World Team Trial in Mongolia) he imparted three directions: make a shoveling motion when I wanted to eat, clasp my hands by my ear when I wanted to sleep, and break out my stance when I wanted to wrestle. Everything else he said, would be easy. The Mongolian Bokh training camp was structured a lot like the summer wrestling camps I used to work at The University of Virginia. The first full day was to consist of of an early morning conditioning workout followed by breakfast. Then it was Nap. Lunch. Nap. Wrestle. Nap. Lift. Dinner. Nap. Yogurt. Bed. Lose the fresh made yogurt and it's a pretty universal training camp. It was shaping up to be a great time, but the morning after my arrival wrestling practice was cancelled because the weather had turned "cold," which is a problem for a sport that is performed outdoors in nothing more than a speedo and an open-breasted half-jacket. Big man here is wearing a del, the traditional winter coat worn by most MongoliansMongolians are some of the hardiest people on the planet -- their name is almost synonymous with burly tough men. This is a tough place, the average year-round temperature in Ulan Bator is 27 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the coldest national capitol in the world - you have to be a tough dude or dudette to make a living in a place where losing a glove means losing a finger. Tough as they are, these particular Mongolians had less-than-zero tolerance for temperature change, outside of 70, 71 and 72 degrees meant drastic measures to cool down or warm-up. You've seen the shirtless photos - it was 74 degrees. When the decision was made to cancel practice due to "cold" I was wearing sandals, a t-shirt and cargo shorts and would testify in court to having broken a sweat. My new friends had busted out their full length, heavy jackets, called dels and camp ground to a frigid halt. That "cold snap" preceded an ear-ringing thunderstorm that had me legitimately frightened and clutching my iPod. Our ger, the traditional home for nomadic Mongolians, pulsed from the pressure changes and before we closed the overhead flap (an "orkh") it had already started to drizzle. Later it rained. And finally, after several hours of meteorological foreplay, it began to pour. Wrestlers playing chessThe rain lasted another two days, and through it was frustrating to have wrestling cancelled it was obvious from the faces of the nomadic herders nearby that the rain was welcome, it meant fatter sheep for the brutal winter. By Wednesday morning the camp was all but out-of-commission with some guys left playing chess and others packing their bags to make it back in town for this weekend's Trials. I got the first ride out on Wednesday morning with Usukhbayar, who was actually wearing a Michael Jordan t-shirt. I'm back at the training camp early next week with Turtogtokh where I expect to wrestle twice-a-day and perfect my double leg (read: double-back handspring). I've purchased the entire traditional outfit including some handmade boots specific to Mongolian Bokh and hat worn into and out-of the wrestling area. I've also followed the lead of my new Mongolian friends and decided to pickup a del to protect me from the cold and rain -- I also bought banana hammocks in case my engine overheats. If it doesn't get cold enough to wear the del now, I'll certainly find use for it at home in the Windy City, however for everyone else's sake I'll leave the underwear in Mongolia. T.R. Foley's all-or-nothing Kickstarter deadline is fast approaching. Be sure to support his project if you can and read his blog at http://www.wrestlingroots.org and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/wrestlingroots.

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! Join Takedown Wrestling Host Scott Casber and Brad Johnson with the Takedown Wrestling Headline News. Listen in this Saturday for Takedown Wrestling 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET. This weeks guests include: 9:01 Mark Manning, Nebraska head coach 9:20 Steve Garland, Virginia head coach 9:40 Brendan Buckley, Cal Poly head coach 9:50 Max Muscle Minute with Ty Barkley 10:01 Rob Koll, Cornell head coach 10:20 Cung Le 10:40 Kyle Dake, Cornell two-time NCAA champion 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort in Emmetsburg, Iowa Jeff Lehey's band will be playing at the greenwood lounge on Ingersol tonight 9 to 1 We may be treated to a surprise in studio guest, UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens! Join us LIVE 9 to 11 a.m. CT for Takedown Wrestling. Listen on radio, on computer, your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio App. KXNO.com, Takedownradio.com, iHeart Radio App.

Head Coach Pat Pecora (36th season) and the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program have added 16 new wrestlers for the 2011-12 season, including six former Pennsylvania State Place-winners. Highlighting the class are Travis McKillop (Lower Burrell, Pa.), Burrell High School's 2011 PIAA State Champion at 160 lbs., and Penn Cambria High School's Evan Link (Cresson, Pa.), the 2010 and 2011 state runner-up at 112 lbs. Of the 16 incoming wrestlers, six were former Pennsylvania State-Place-winners and four others qualified for the PA State Tournament. In addition, Coach Pecora added 2010 PA State Place-winner Zak Newton (Cresson, Pa./Penn Cambria H.S.), who played football at St. Francis University last season, and Sean O'Connell (Farmington, Conn./Farmington H.S.), a transfer from Anderson (S.C.) University. “Once again, I believe we have added some young men who will make an immediate impact on our program and some who will make an impact a few years down the road,” Coach Pecora said. “Overall, another great recruiting class.” Heading this year's recruiting class are McKillop and Link. McKillop, whose cousins were former football standouts at the University of Pittsburgh, posted a 52-2 overall record in 2010-11 on his way to winning the PA State title at 160 lbs. McKillop, currently ranked third in the nation in his weight class, finished his high school career with a 163-31 record. He also represented Pennsylvania in the 2011 Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic in Pittsburgh. Link will join his brothers Nathan and Ryan on the Mountain Cats squad. Link, currently ranked sixth in the nation, is a two-time PA State Runner-up at 112 lbs. He finished with a 42-2 record in 2010-11 and a 138-20 career record. Coach Pecora is also bringing in four former Pennsylvania State Place-Winners. Mike Pavasko (Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley H.S.) is coming off of a 36-8 season and a fourth-place PIAA finish at 152 lbs., while Portage Area High School's David Kephart (Portage, Pa./Portage Area H.S.) had a 36-4 overall record in 2010-11 and placed seventh at 189 lbs. Newton placed fifth at the PIAA Tournament in 2010 at 189 lbs., but chose to play football at St. Francis out of high school. Corey Aungst (Claysburg, Pa./Claysburg-Kimmel H.S.) placed eighth at 145 lbs. in 2011. Four PA State Qualifiers will also continue their collegiate wrestling careers at Pitt-Johnstown. They include: AAA State Qualifiers Nikos Garafola (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield H.S.) (189 lbs., 39-6 record) and Damian Lascoli (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg, H.S.) (160 lbs., 29-9 record) and AA State Qualifiers Brian Gibbons (Buffalo Mills, Pa./Bedford H.S.) (171 lbs., 38-6 record) and Dylan Killian (Annville, Pa./Annville-Cleona H.S.) (152 lbs., 40-6 record). In addition, several others will join the team in 2011-12. O'Connell will transfer to Pitt-Johnstown from Anderson. True freshmen include: Felipe Arias (135 lbs., Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson H.S.), Christian Bosco (160 lbs., Jeannette, Pa./Penn Trafford H.S.), Jarek Dudek (145. lbs, Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning H.S.), Gio Giorgio (125 lbs. West Lawn, Pa./Wilson H.S.), Zach Leda (HWT. New Kensington, Pa. /Kiski Area H.S.) Alphabetical List of the 2011-12 Pitt-Johnstown Wrestling Recruits NAME HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL H.S. WT. SR RECORD. H.S. HONORS Felipe Arias Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson 135 lbs. Corey Aungst Claysburg, Pa/Claysburg-Kimmel 145 lbs. 42-6 2011 PIAA AA 8th-Place Christian Bosco Jeannette, Pa./Penn Trafford 160 lbs. Jarek Dudek Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning 145 lbs. Nikos Garafola Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield 189 lbs. 39-6 2011 PIAA AAA State Qualifier Gio Giorgio West Lawn, Pa./Wilson 125 lbs. Brian Gibbons Buffalo Mills, Pa./Bedford 171 lbs. 38-6 2011 PIAA AA State Qualifier David Kephart Portage, Pa./Portage Area 189 lbs. 36-4 2011 PIAA AA 7th-Place Dylan Killian Annville, Pa./Annville-Cleona 152 lbs. 40-6 2011 PIAA AA State Qualifier Damian Lascoli Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg Area 160 lbs. 29-9 2011 PIAA AAA State Qualifier Zach Leda New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Area HWT. Evan Link Cresson, Pa./Penn Cambria 112 lbs. 42-2 2-time PIAA AA State Runner-up Travis McKillop Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell 160 lbs. 52-2 2011 PIAA AA State Champion Zak Newton Cresson, Pa./Penn Cambria 189 lbs. 39-8 2010 PIAA AA 5th-Place Sean O'Connell Farmington, Conn./Farmington 184 lbs. Mike Pavasko Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley 152 lbs. 36-8 2011 PIAA AA 4th-Place The Mountain Cats are coming off of a 15-2 dual meet season, a second-place finish at the NCAA Division II Super Region I Tournament and a tie for 10th-place finish at the National Tournament. Seven wrestlers advanced to the 2011 Division II National Tournament. Three became All-Americans, including sophomore Ryan Link (133 lbs.) (Cresson, Pa.) (4th-Place), senior Chris Dempsey (HWT.) (Sewickley, Pa.) (5th-Place), and red-shirt freshman Jack Bachman (141 lbs.) (Greensburg, Pa.) (8th-place). In the classroom, Zach Lundgren (157 lbs.) (DuBois, Pa.) earned First-Team NWCA All-Academic Team honors, while Josh Krupa (HWT.) (Bedford, Pa.), Myers Miller (165 lbs.) (Bolivar, Pa.), and Keith Ryan (157 lbs.) (Shirleysburg, Pa.) were honorable mention choices. Pitt-Johnstown will open the 2011-12 season at the Washington & Jefferson Collegiate Open on November 12, before making their home debut against West Liberty (WV) University on November 18 at 7 p.m. in the Sports Center.

Augustana head wrestling coach Jason Reitmeier announced Wednesday that Tim Weber from Hartford, S.D., and Jake Lillie from St. Michael, Minn., have committed to the Vikings for the 2011-12 season. Weber is a 2011 graduate of West Central High School, where he was a six-year letterwinner. He racked up 173 career wins and was a five-time state qualifier, notching two runner-up finishes. Weber earned two region titles and was named all-conference three times. Other career totals included 353 takedowns and 86 pins. He is expected to wrestle at 165 or 174 pounds for Augustana. “Tim is very athletic and a multi-sport star,” Reitmeier said. “He has a controlled style with great position and is good from all positions on the mat. He also has a big frame, and we are looking forward to getting him bigger to compete in the middle or upper weights.” A 2011 graduate of St. Michael-Albertville, Lillie was a six-time letterwinner during his prep career. He collected all-conference honors four times and was a two-time state qualifier. Lillie also accumulated more than 100 career wins. He will wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds. Said Reitmeier: “Jake comes from a winning program with great tradition. He is used to being pushed hard and will fit in to what we are trying to accomplish as a team. Jake is technically strong on his feet and will develop in other positions in our room.” The two join Jon Gorter from Pipestone, Minn., Mark Vetter from Yankton, S.D., Brandon Chesnut from Onawa, Iowa, Riley McManus from Wayne, Neb., Zachary Friederich from Lonsdale, Minn., Lance Shaull from Tea, S.D., Alex Burghardt from Watertown, S.D., Shawn Hatlestad from New London, Minn., Garret Heiberger from Hartford, S.D., JD Herst from St. Louis, Mo., Taylor Harris from Harrisburg, S.D., and Bret Johnson from Story City, Iowa, in Augustana's 2011-12 recruiting class. Augustana finished third and had seven All-America honorees at the 2011 NCAA Championship. The Vikings, who took second at the Super Regional Three Championship, finished the dual season with a record of 14-2 and were the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champions with a flawless 7-0 conference campaign. Located in Sioux Falls, S.D., Augustana College is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Related Link: 2011-12 Schedule Lincoln -- Highlighted by five guaranteed home duals and seven matches against teams who finished last season ranked in the top 25, the Nebraska wrestling program released its schedule for the 2011-12 campaign Wednesday. After celebrating the program's 100th anniversary season last year, the Huskers will embark on another historic season as they are set to join the Big Ten Conference on July 1. Nebraska will kick off their season on the East Coast with four duals in the state of Pennsylvania. In its first dual, the Huskers will take on Bucknell for the second straight year (Nov. 10), before wrestling in a trio of matches at the Hershey Duals on Nov. 12 against North Carolina, Navy and Kent State in Hershey, Pa. After a trip to the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 2-3, the Huskers will return home for their home opener against Wyoming on Dec. 10. The Huskers defeated Wyoming last season in Laramie, Wyo., 20-12. The Huskers will then hit the road for duals against South Dakota State and North Dakota State on Dec. 17 and 18, respectively, before traveling to Tempe, Ariz., to wrestle in the ASU duals on Dec. 29. Four out of the five guaranteed home duals next season will take place against Big Ten opponents, including a visit from defending national champion Penn State on Friday, Feb. 3. NU opens Big Ten competition with two straight home duals against Ohio State on Jan. 6 and Iowa on Jan. 13. Iowa finished third at last season's NCAA Championships and won the 2010 team title. Nebraska will wrestle in its first conference away match on Jan. 20 at Indiana, but will promptly return to Lincoln to face off against Purdue on Jan. 22. The remaining conference dual matches will be on the road against Michigan State (Jan. 27), Wisconsin (Jan. 29) and Minnesota (Feb. 5). The Huskers will wrestle in the NWCA National Duals, which has changed its format this season to a 2-weekend event. The opening weekend kicks off on Feb. 11-12 and works as a qualifier for the Final Four National Duals on Feb. 18-19. Sites for the National Duals are still being determined. Nebraska did not participate in the National Duals last season. Nebraska will close its regular season with a home dual against Northern Iowa on Feb. 19, unless one of the schools advances to the Final Four National Duals that weekend. NU will begin its post-season competition at the Big Ten Championships on March 3-4 in West Lafayette, Ind., and will then travel to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., which run from March 15-17 at the Scottrade Center. Click on the link above to view the full 2011-12 wrestling schedule.

Related Link: The Clash X: Introducing six more teams Related Link: The Clash X: Introducing the first 11 teams Six more teams have been added to the field for The Clash X, which takes place Dec. 30-31 in Rochester, Minn. All six are making their Clash debuts. The six first-time entrants introduced in this article join the 17 teams previously announced. The previously-announced teams include Apple Valley (Minnesota), St. Paris Graham (Ohio), Clovis (California), Simley (Minnesota), Carl Sandburg (Illinois), Kasson-Mantorville (Minnesota), St. Michael-Albertville (Minnesota), Arrowhead (Wisconsin), Hastings (Minnesota), Baylor (Tennessee), Vacaville (California), St. Edward (Ohio), Wisconsin Rapids (Wisconsin), Christiansburg (Virginia), Colonial Forge (Virginia), Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), and Forest Lake (Minnesota). Nine more teams will be announced at a later date, which will round out the 32-team field. 18. Rapid City Central, South Dakota Record at The Clash: 0-0 Appearance at The Clash: 1st Returning State Champions: 0 Returning State Placewinners: 5 About Rapid City: Rapid City Central is one of three South Dakota teams making its first trip to The Clash. There are two divisions in South Dakota and the Cobblers are the largest school (enrollment 1963) in the big school division (A). Head coach Lance Peterson just completed his ninth season, but this is not his first shot as a head coach. Peterson suffered a career-ending injury in his third year at Northern State (Aberdeen) and took the head coaching job at a local, private high school while he finished his undergrad degree. He was 20 years old. He later joined his high school coach Dan Mahoney as an assistant at RCC. Joining Peterson as assistants are two well-known South Dakota wrestlers, both three-time state champions: Dave Gorsuch and John Buxton. Rapid City Central has won six state titles and boasts 50 individual gold medal winners from a program that was started in 1958. 19. Mitchell, South Dakota Record at The Clash: 0-0 Appearance at The Clash: 1st Returning State Champions: 2 Returning State Placewinners: 4 About Mitchell: The Kernels of Mitchell, South Dakota bring a storied and exciting team to The Clash. Head coach Travis Carpenter's squad will be looking for its seventh overall team state title in 2012. The program brings back two state champions and a set of twins, Jason and Justin Greenway, who are first cousins of Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. Mitchell is one of two high schools in town and has an enrollment of 600. The Kernels also wrestle in the larger of the two classes (A). Coach Carpenter is entering his seventh season, but has been with the program since he graduated in 1991. He has the proud honor of having an assistant, Tom Star, who was his former coach at Mitchell. The program was started in 1962 and has had 75 state finalists and 40 state champions. Perhaps their most recognizable alumni is Adam Feldman, who went on to win an NCAA Division II title for South Dakota State. 20. Pierre, South Dakota Record at The Clash: 0-0 Appearance at The Clash: 1st Returning State Champions: 1 Returning State Placewinners: 6 About Pierre: The third addition to The Clash from South Dakota comes from the middle of the state and is located in the capital city. The Pierre Governors (enrollment 800) are coached by Ryan Noyes, who is also an alumni of the school. He was a three-time state placewinner and has been at the helm for six years. This up-and-coming program started in 1966 and became team champions in 1974. Pierre has produced 30 individual state champions. Noyes wrestled under legendary head coach Rick Jensen, who compiled a lofty 93-1 record at Pierre and was one of a select few grapplers who won four state championships. Jensen went on to South Dakota State and was a two-time Division II champion. Another well known alumni of Pierre is three-time state champion Tyler Bryant, who was also an All-American at South Dakota State. 21. Lewiston, Idaho Record at The Clash: 0-0 Appearance at The Clash: 1st Returning State Champions: 1 Returning State Placewinners: 5 About Lewiston: It is the goal of The Clash recruiting team to attract new teams from states that have not been represented in the past. Lewiston, Idaho is one these. Lewiston has been ranked in the top three in Idaho for several years and is hungry for its first state title. Idaho has five separate classes to determine a champion. In addition, each school can enter two wrestlers per weight class. It is possible for two kids from the same school to wrestle for the state title. Coach Dan Maurer, in his 11th season as head coach, brings a young but thirsty team to The Clash. Lewiston is one of the oldest schools in the state, opening in 1908, and beginning its wrestling program in 1968. Lewiston has had 15 individual state champions. They are one of the few schools in the country with a high school that starts in 10th grade. 22. Jefferson, Georgia Record at The Clash: 0-0 Appearance at The Clash: 1st Returning State Champions: 2 Returning State Placewinners: 8 About Jefferson: When wrestling fans think of wrestling powerhouse programs in Georgia, Collins Hill is typically the first program that comes to mind. That might soon change. Jefferson, Georgia is about to explode onto the national scene. This powerhouse out of the northeast part of the state just won its 11th straight state title from traditional scoring. Georgia has two state tournaments and Jefferson has won the last 10 dual team tournaments. There are five divisions in Georgia, and Jefferson is in 2A. They usually either travel out of state or take on 5A teams to get comparable competition. Head coach Doug Thurmond has been the head coach during this long run of championships after following longtime coach Jack Keen. They return a very strong team and The Clash X will be the program's first long travel trip to take on the nation's finest. 23. Prior Lake, Minnesota Record at The Clash: 0-0 Appearance at The Clash: 1st Returning State Champions: 0 Returning State Placewinners: 2 About Prior Lake: The Lakers of Prior Lake, Minnesota are excited to make their maiden voyage to The Clash. Head coach Joe Block took over this struggling program in 2000 and in his first three seasons compiled a record of 6-67. This must have been brutal to someone like Block, who was a two-time state champion for Le Center in the late 1980s. Block went on to wrestle at Drake and finished his career at Minnesota. Prior Lake (1950 students) is in the large class in Minnesota and won its first section championship in 2006. Last season, Prior Lake finished third at the state tournament, which was the highest finish ever for the program. The Lakers have had a total of nine state champions, with Jake Kahnke being perhaps the most decorated alumni. Kahnke, who wrestles at St. Cloud State, finished as an NCAA Division II runner-up at heavyweight this past season. Steve Elwood can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com. This story also appears in the June 24 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering amateur wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote amateur wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team was honored by the Big Ten Conference as the Big Ten's 2010-11 Men's Team of the Year. Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson was also tabbed as the 2010-11 Big Ten Men's Head Coach of the Year. The Nittany Lion wrestlers were the 2011 Big Ten Champions, claiming the school's first ever conference title, in early March in Northwestern and then winning the 2011 NCAA National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19 in front of a partisan Penn State crowd at the Wells Fargo Center. Penn State posted a superb 17-1-1 dual meet record which included both the Virginia Duals title and a co-championship at the Southern Scuffle. Penn State set a school record with a 6-1-1 Big Ten dual meet as well. Penn State beat out the Ohio State men's basketball team and the Wisconsin football team to claim the honor. Sanderson's Lions rode the strong performance of eight national qualifiers including five All-Americans (all of whom finished in the top three and one of which won a national crown). Sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) capped off an historic March run by winning the 184-pound crown as the No. 9 seed. Wright began March with a Big Ten title as well as Big Ten Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. Junior Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) became a three-time All-American by advancing to the finals at 149. Molinaro also won the 149-pound Big Ten title. Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) capped off a stunning rookie campaign by advancing to the finals at 157 to become a freshman All-American as national runner-up. Taylor was the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) rolled to a third place finish at 133 at the NCAA Championships to become a two-time All-American. Long also won the Big Ten crown. Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) also rolled to a third place finish at 174 and collected the Gorriaran Award at NCAA's for most pins in the least time. Ruth was the Big Ten champion as well. Penn State's run at NCAA's was historic for the school and east coast wrestling as well. The crown was Penn State's first since 1953; the Nittany Lions become only the sixth team in the nation to win more than one NCAA team title; the 107.5 team points is a Penn State record (and marks the first time PSU scored over 100); the Nittany Lions now have 22 individual champions (among 19 individuals), 7th all-time in the nation; Penn State had five All-Americans for the first time since 1998 (the school record is eight, set in 1987); Penn State had five wrestlers finish in the top three nationally for the first time since 1953; Penn State had three national finalists for the first time since 1999. Sanderson's overall conference Coach of the Year honor is the latest in a long line of accolades won the veteran mentor. He was named 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Coach of the Year and earned numerous national Coach of the Year awards from various national publications. Sanderson's Big Ten Wrestling Coach of the Year honor, combined with his Big 12 Coach of the Year honors won while at Iowa State, makes him the only coach in NCAA history to earn coach of the year laurels from both the Big Ten and Big 12. Sanderson now sports a 30-7-2 dual meet record at Penn State in two seasons and is 74-17-2 in five years as a head coach. The 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist has also returned to the competitive arena, winning the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials crown at 84 kg and will head to Istanbul, Turkey, this September for the 2011 World Championships. Sanderson beat out Ohio State men's basketball coach Thad Matta and Purdue men's basketball coach Matt Painter for the honor. Penn State is already prepping for the upcoming season. The season ticket package for the 2011-12 campaign features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package and the Intrasquad is free) and costs only $42 for all seats, the same price as last year. Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557. A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders. Current season ticket holders from last year will receive their renewal notices later this summer and information on single dual tickets will come as the season approaches. With season ticket sales already brisk, Penn State will be capping the number of total season tickets sold (combining new applications and renewals from last year), so fans wishing to purchase new season tickets are encouraged to do so quickly. All information for purchasing new season tickets is also available online at is www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html . Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling's facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season has been presented by The Family Clothesline. The full 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling Schedule is as follows:

John Murray, former head wrestling coach at Ithaca College, and Ret. Lt. Col. Steve Banach will go "On the Mat" this Wednesday, June 22. "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 - 6:00 PM Central on AM 1650, The Fan. Archives of past shows can be found on www.themat.tv. E-mail radio@wrestlingmuseum.org with any questions or comments about the show. Murray was the head wrestling coach at Ithaca College for 15 years before retiring in 1995. He led his team to NCAA Division III championships in 1989, 1990, and 1994. Murray's 1994 championship was the last time a school other than Augsburg or Wartburg won an NCAA Division III title. Murray currently owns and operates Advantage Sport & Fitness based out of Ithaca, New York. Banach is a former Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He led the first Airborne Combat Jump Invasion into Afghanistan in 2001, shortly after 9/11. In 2003 he led his Ranger Battalion again for a second combat jump into Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Banach, the older brother of Olympic champions Ed and Lou Banach, placed fifth at the New York state wrestling championships. In college, he wrestled at Clemson and the University of Iowa.