InterMat Staff

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. Our guests include: 9:03 Kerry Volkmann, John Carroll head wrestling coach 9:20 Donny Pritzlaff, Michigan assistant head wrestling coach 9:40 Casey Brewster, College of Mount St. Joseph head wrestling coach 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 Steve Costanzo, St. Cloud State head wrestling coach 10:20 Brendan Buckley, Cal Poly head wrestling coach 10:40 Mark Hawald, Case Western Reserve head wrestling coach 10:50 Amy Ruble, Wildrose Casino and Resort GM Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 197 pound weight class bout at the 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will feature a pair of Pennsylvania All-Americans in Quentin Wright of Penn State University wrestling against Matt Wilps of the University of Pittsburgh. Penn State's Quentin Wright defeated Lehigh's Robert Hamlin in the 2012 NCAA semifinals at 184 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Wright, a three-time All-American and the 2011 NCAA Wrestling champion, will be looking to become a four-time All-American as he moves up to 197lbs for his senior season. Wright enters his senior season with a career record of 84-23. Wright had an outstanding junior season going 30-4 on the year while finishing 3rd in the Big Ten Championships and 2nd in the NCAA Championships. Wright earned his third All-American status, and became the twentieth three-time All-American in Pennsylvania State University history. In his sophomore season, Wright had an outstanding post-season run going from the 8th seed in the Big Ten tournament to capturing both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. As a freshman, wrestling at 174 pounds, Wright finished second at the Big Ten Championships and sixth at the NCAA Championships, earning his first All-American status. As a redshirt sophomore, during the 2010-2011 season, Wright wrestled up at 184 pounds and won both the Big 10 Championships and NCAA Championships, earning two-time All-American honors. Wright was third at the Big 10 Championships in 2012 as a redshirt junior, and finished second at the NCAA Championships after losing to Steve Bosak of Cornell by a score of 4-2. Wright is currently 11th All-Time in Pins at Penn State and 15th in NCAA Tournament wins. Wilps had a break out 2011-12 season winning his second EWL Championship and finishing 4th in the NCAA Championships to earn his first All-American honors. Wilps completed his junior season with a 34-5 overall record. Wilps led his team in wins, dual wins, dual points, and longest win streak. Wilps further won Wrestler of the Week honors and was named MVP by his team Wilps has a career record of 104-34 and is a three-time NCAA qualifier. Wright and Wilps also both wrestled high school in the state of Pennsylvania at Bald Eagle Area and Chartiers Valley respectively. The NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will occur on November 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington D.C. The NWCA All-Star classic is hosted by the DC Athletic Club and Greater Washington Business Network and is also sponsored by Balance Bar. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA Facebook and Twitter pages. The NWCA Classic serves as a premier event to help grow the sport of wrestling. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the sport in the Washington DC area. About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling. About the United States Marine Corps On November 10, 1775, the Marine Corps was established by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since then, the Marine Corps, through service on land, in air, and at sea, have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue. Whether facing our nation’s foes or conducting humanitarian relief and disaster recovery operations at home or abroad, today’s Marine Corps stands ready to continue in the same proud tradition of faithful service to the United States. For more information, visit http://www.Marines.com. About Balance Bar Founded in 1992, Balance Bar, one of America’s original nutrition/energy bars, inspires consumers to lead active, well-rounded and balanced lives by providing great-tasting, healthy and convenient nutrition for lasting energy. Balance Bars are available in seven unique product lines (Original, Gold, Bare, Café, CarbWell, nimble and mini) and all 23 flavors are based on the 40/30/30 nutrition model (40% of calories come from healthy carbohydrates, 30% from quality protein and 30% from dietary fat). For more information, visit www.Balance.com. Follow Balance Bar for tips and nutritional information on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Balancebar) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/Balancebar).

Michigan's wrestling program has been the model of consistency since Joe McFarland took over as head coach in 1999. McFarland has helped keep Michigan's wrestling program among the nation's premier programs in his 13 seasons as head coach, with 12 top-15 NCAA finishes, including six top-seven finishes. The Wolverines earned a runner-up trophy at the NCAAs in 2005. McFarland has coached 19 different wrestlers to five NCAA championships, 42 All-American honors, and 17 Big Ten titles. InterMat caught up with McFarland and talked to him about recruiting, Midlands, freshmen, key returners, dual meet championship proposal, matside review, and more. Joe McFarland is in his 14th season as Michigan's head coach (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Official practice kicked off on Wednesday. What's the focus of these early-season practices? McFarland: A number of things ... getting those young guys meshed in with the older guys, building that conditioning base that you need, and working on those things that you think your team needs to be working on this time of the year. You have had a strong recruiting season. I know you can't speak specifically about unsigned athletes, but can you talk a little bit about how recruiting is going from your standpoint? McFarland: From our standpoint the recruiting is going very, very well. We're going to have an outstanding class coming in behind a strong freshman class that we have here. I think our staff is pretty excited about it. How much has the recruiting process changed since you have been head coach at Michigan? McFarland: It has changed a lot ... No question about it. Years ago you would have to go to a tournament to see a kid. Now you can actually watch a lot of their matches from Junior Nationals and all these different tournaments online. It has definitely changed a lot. But you've still got to do some of those same things ... You've still got to get out to see these guys and have them on campus. All that stuff has stayed relatively the same. But technology has definitely changed the game. I think it has been great for wrestlers because they're able to get themselves out in front of coaches. Joe McFarland (second from left) was on the world television broadcast production crew for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, along with Jim Humphrey, Russ Hellickson, Tim Johnson, and others (Photo courtesy of Doug Brooker) I know you were at the Olympics this summer working on the television production crew for Doug Brooker. What was your biggest takeaway from the London Games? McFarland: It gave me a whole new perspective. Working the Games and being matside, it's a little different. I'm not used to that kind of thing. Just seeing the other end of it -- the production side of it -- was pretty neat. Getting a chance to work with guys like Doug Brooker and the other people on the production crew was great. Also, being able to work with Jim Humphrey and Russ Hellickson was great. I go back a long way with those guys. It was a good experience for all of us. But it was an experience from a side that I'm not always used to. This year you have the Midlands Championships on your schedule. That's not an event that has been on your schedule in recent seasons. What went into the decision to attend the Midlands? McFarland: Ken Kraft had been talking to us about it being the 50th year. Michigan was one of the original teams. We had gone to the Midlands for a long time. We went there when I was a student-athlete here at Michigan. So our coaching staff just felt like it would be a good change for us. Obviously, it's a very competitive tournament. We want to get back there for the 50th anniversary and be a part of it. We think it's going to be really good for our team. Sean Bormet and Donny Pritzlaff were hired in 2011 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Last year you hired Donny Pritzlaff and Sean Bormet on to your staff. What kind of impact have they had on the program? McFarland: They've had a big impact on this program ... everything from our in-room training sessions to our recruiting. They've just brought a lot of new energy to our program. Those two are very close. I've always been very close with Sean. I've always had a lot of respect for Donny, and have gotten to know him from when he was coaching at other places. I really like my staff right now. I like the energy that these guys bring, the knowledge that they bring. They're going to continue help Michigan wrestling and bring it to new heights. Many of the top college wrestling programs, including Michigan, have regional training centers. How important is the training center to your program? McFarland: Very important. I think to be a top program you need to have something like that in place. You mentioned Sean and Donny ... Those guys have been instrumental in helping us build this to where we're at right now. We have obviously revamped our Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. Having guys like Andy Hrovat and Kyle Massey coach the club has been a wonderful thing. I think it's a necessity. You've got to have it if you want to be a top program. Those are the kind of things that top recruits are looking to be a part of. They've got aspirations of going on and someday being a World and Olympic champion. The programs that have those pieces in place are going to have an advantage. You brought in a very strong 2012 recruiting class, a class that includes Taylor Massa, Rossi Bruno, and Jordan Thomas, among others. You have wrestled true freshmen before who have been successful right out of the gates, like Kellen Russell. What is the likelihood that we see any or all of the true freshmen wrestlers mentioned vying for starting spots this season? McFarland: I think there's a good possibility you might see a couple of those guys in the starting lineup. We're still evaluating these guys. We're just getting into practice. We've been very impressed with all of them. But I think you'll see a couple of them in our starting lineup this year, and we're pretty excited about that. I think these guys could bring a lot of energy to our lineup. Taylor Massa, a four-time undefeated Michigan state champion, was the nation's No. 2 overall recruit from the Class of 2012 (Photo/MichiganGrappler.com)When will the decision be made on whether they wrestle in the lineup or redshirt? McFarland: That's interesting because I'm doing some stuff for wrestle-offs right now. I'm just getting all the information up on the board. Obviously, we've got to have wrestle-offs just to make things official. We won't be completed with our wrestle-offs until Oct. 25. That's when our final championship matches are going to be held. Just from what we have seen so far in the room, like I said, you might see a couple of those guys in our starting lineup this year, and the other guys will probably end up redshirting. What do you like about Taylor Massa? McFarland: Everything. He's just everything that I expected and more. He's very competitive. He's attentive to everything that the coaches are talking about. He's absorbing everything. He's a great worker. He's doing well in the classroom. He's been doing all the right things. He has obviously been a great addition to our program. I think he's just going to continue to get better and better. He doesn't look like a freshman in our room. He's got all the tools, so we're pretty excited about it. When Eric Grajales was a freshman at Michigan he initially tried to make 133 pounds, but couldn't maintain the weight and ultimately moved up two weight classes to 149 pounds because Kellen Russell was occupying 141 pounds. Now that Russell has graduated, is there a chance Grajales could wrestle 141 pounds? Or is the plan still to keep him at 149 pounds? McFarland: We're going to keep him at 149. 141 is still to be determined. Steve Dutton transferred in. We'll have to go through the wrestle-offs at 141, along with all the other weight classes. But Eric is certified at 149. Eric Grajales has reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs in each of the past two seasons as Michigan's 149-pounder (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Grajales has reached the round of 12 at the NCAAs in each of the past two seasons. What's going to be the key for Grajales to take that next step to not only get on the All-American podium, but contend for an NCAA championship at 149 pounds? McFarland: Consistency is going to be a key for him, being consistent in his training, being consistent in everything that goes into that championship lifestyle. Being focused on all the right things, pushing hard in practice, listening to coaches. He's got all the tools. Eric has been working hard and been pretty focused. But we need to keep him focused on the right things throughout the course of the season. I think if he does that, good things will come because he's very talented. He's got all the tools to do it. Dan Yates is moving up from 165 pounds to 174 pounds. What went into that decision? McFarland: I actually wanted to move him up the year before. He had to be very, very disciplined to make 165. I just see how much more horsepower and grind he has in our room when he's feeling good and he's up heavy and strong. I actually wanted to move up him up to 174 last year ... It just didn't work out that way. With Justin Zeerip, he wanted to stay at 174. I wanted to actually bump him up to 184. But I'm excited about Danny moving up to 174. I think it's going to be a great weight class for him. Sean Boyle is coming off a redshirt season. What kind of impact do you expect him to make this season at 125 pounds? McFarland: It's going to be an interesting weight class. We've got a number of guys in there battling in that weight class. Sean is coming back off that surgery ... He's coming back very strong. He has been looking great in our room. He has had absolutely no issues with that shoulder. And then we have Conor Youtsey too. So those two have been scrapping pretty good in the room, so we're pretty excited about the wrestle-off at that weight. Sean has shown a lot of signs of maturity in all aspects, so I think he's going to be a big part of our program this year. Joe McFarland coaching at the 2012 NCAAs in St. Louis (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)The topic of potentially moving to a dual meet championship to crown the NCAA team champion was hot top topic in August and September. Where did the Michigan staff stand on the dual meet championship proposal? McFarland: We had a lot of discussions about it. To be quite honest with you, we were a little bit divided. I think initially I was on the fence. Until I saw a full laid-out plan, I wasn't comfortable with moving in that direction. But I think in the end it's going to be a neat thing that we've got to support. Of course we've got the coaches' summit coming up in Chicago later this month where we're going to do some more work on that. I think that's going to be very helpful. We were a little bit divided on it, but we had really good discussions here on it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions on it. There was a lot of information put out on it. But in the end we voted for it. The NCAA recently approved matside video review. You have been on the wrong some side of some controversial calls in big matches. Do you have an opinion on matside video review? McFarland: If we can keep the flow of the match going and be efficient with the matside video, then I think it could be a great thing. You hate to see kids pour their lives into the sport and come out on what I would consider an extremely bad call that would cost them a match, possibly a championship match ... I think back to one of our formers wrestlers, Ryan Churella. I think that's going to be a great thing that's needed in our sport. At the same time I think we've got to be careful that it doesn't interrupt the flow of the match and that it's not abused.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will be held in front of a sold-out crowd of over 3,000 spectators at Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C. This marks the first time the event has had an advance sell out since 2001 when the event was held on the campus of Franklin & Marshall University in Lancaster, PA. The D.C. Athletic Club (DCAC) and the Greater Washington Wrestling Business Network (GWWBN) announced no more tickets, outside of corporate sponsorship tickets, are left for the event. While this year’s complete line up as not been officially released, the event is quickly shaping up to have one of the best fields in the past 15 years. Fans will be treated to what is called the match up of the year when Kyle Dake of Cornell and David Taylor of Penn State compete for the All-Star Classic title at 165 pounds. Both wrestlers were undefeated in the 2011-2012 season and claimed the NCAA Championship title in their respective weight classes. For Dake, he will look to win his fourth NCAA championship and dethrone Taylor at 165 pounds after competing collegiately at 157 pounds last season. “The field at this year’s All-Star Classic is outstanding,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “Fans truly have a reason to be excited about the start of this year’s wrestling season.” NWCA officials additionally attribute the sold-out status of the event to be in part caused by the event being held in Washington D.C., our nation’s capital. Washington D.C. further boasts a wide variety of entertainment and tourism options in addition to the All-Star Classic, providing ticket holders the opportunity to turn attending the event into a weekend of entertainment rather than just a night. While the event is sold out, there is still the opportunity for corporate sponsors to become involved with the All-Star Classic and receive tickets to attend the event. There are four levels at which a corporate partner can become involved with the event at, ranging from the $1,000 to more than $10,000 level, and giving the partner from 2 to 15 general admission tickets in addition to a varying number of VIP passes, reserved passes and other benefits. The NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will occur on November 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington D.C. The NWCA All-Star classic is hosted by the DC Athletic Club and Greater Washington Wrestling Business Network and is also sponsored by Balance Bar. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA Facebook and Twitter pages. The NWCA Classic serves as a premier event to help grow the sport of wrestling. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the sport in the Washington DC area. About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling. About the United States Marine Corps On November 10, 1775, the Marine Corps was established by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since then, the Marine Corps, through service on land, in air, and at sea, have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term “Marine” has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue. Whether facing our nation’s foes or conducting humanitarian relief and disaster recovery operations at home or abroad, today’s Marine Corps stands ready to continue in the same proud tradition of faithful service to the United States. For more information, visit http://www.Marines.com. About Balance Bar Founded in 1992, Balance Bar, one of America’s original nutrition/energy bars, inspires consumers to lead active, well-rounded and balanced lives by providing great-tasting, healthy and convenient nutrition for lasting energy. Balance Bars are available in seven unique product lines (Original, Gold, Bare, Café, CarbWell, nimble and mini) and all 23 flavors are based on the 40/30/30 nutrition model (40% of calories come from healthy carbohydrates, 30% from quality protein and 30% from dietary fat). For more information, visit www.Balance.com. Follow Balance Bar for tips and nutritional information on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Balancebar) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/Balancebar).

Jim Makovsky and Mark Matzkek will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, October 10. "On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Central on AM 1650, The Fan. E-mail dgmstaff@nwhof.org with any questions or comments about the show. Makovsky is his 20th year as the head wrestling coach at Minnesota State-Mankato. He has coached 10 NCAA champions during his tenure. Matzek is in his fifth year as the head wrestling coach at Augsburg College. He led the Auggies to an NCAA Division III wrestling championship in 2010. He was also a two-time NCAA champion for Augsburg.

UFC 153 lost its three biggest fights due to various injuries, but the boys over at Zuffa scrambled to put together a main card led by middleweight champion and MMA legend Anderson Silva against Rockyesque longshot Stephan Bonnar. Richard and John break down the main card and make their fight picks. Also, with Strikeforce's November 3 show riddled with injuries, exasperating the cancelation of last month's show, the discussion turns to whether the promotion has a future. Do you want to listen to a past episode? View archives.

Shane Roller

125: 1. Kyle Vexler – Palomar College 2. Silverio Esparza – West Hills College 3. Eddie Estevez – Palomar College 4. Paul Rodriguez – Sacramento City College 5. Matt Corea – Cuesta College 6. Gabe Ballestros – Cerritos College 7. Dieuminse Dore – Lassen College 8. Christian Bettencourt – Mt San Antonio College Honorable Mention: Brian Santana – Chabot College Emerson Jimenez – Fresno City College Josh Plottzke – Sacramento City College Justin Martin Del Campo – Sacramento City College Mike Perez – Cerritos College Yubini Barerra – Chabot College 133: 1. Juan Jaime – Santa Ana College 2. AJ Valles – Fresno City College 3. Emilio Rivera – Palomar College 4. Rudy Delgado – Cerritos College 5. Sean Melton – Sacramento City College 6. Jake Lincoln – Cuesta College 7. Jeshua Avino – Chabot College 8. Darrin Salazar – West Hills College Honorable Mention: Alex Greybill – Sierra College Brock Remington – Rio Hondo College Dominic Cesena – Chabot College Rey Andrade – Fresno City College Yasier Alvarez – Lassen College 141: 1. Steven Melara – Mt San Antonio College 2. Jose Maldanado – Rio Hondo College 3. Aaron Ceballos – Delta College 4. Michael Ruiz – West Hills College 5. Travis Roberts – Sierra College 6. Racelis Cardenas – Fresno City College 7. Max Ramierez – Bakersfield College 8. Julian Purdy – Cuesta College Honorable Mention: Adam Blank – Sacramento City College Anthony Rubio – Chabot College Enrique Barajas – Sacramento City College Jimmy Zhen – Skyline College Josh Ewing – Cerritos College Michael Behnke – Cerritos College Miguel Rodriguez – Fresno City College Regugio Rodriguez – Victor Valley College Spaso Illich – Cuesta College 149: 1. Spencer Hill – Fresno City College 2. Cody Rodebaugh – Sierra College 3. Able Avila – Rio Hondo College 4. Blake Borges – Santa Rosa Junior College 5. Robert Mata – Palomar College 6. Terry Matthews – Shasta College 7. Christian Pham – Cerritos College 8. Simon Olguin – Palomar College Honorable Mention: Dylan Garrioit – Cerritos College Eddie Rodgers – Cerritos College Jacob Bohland – Chabot College Naemon Taylor – Sacramento City College Omar Ochoa – East LA College Paul Coronado – West Hills College 157: 1. Shervin Irnaiha – Palomar College 2. Brady Bersano – Fresno City College 3. Aaron DeMay – Sierra College 4. Bryant Wood – Sacramento City College 5. Francisco Rueda – West Hills College 6. Yuuki Muria – Cerritos College 7. Nick Morelli – Sacramento City College 8. Salvador Osorio – Chabot College Honorable Mention: Brian Barrocio – Rio Hondo College Erik Figueroa – Santa Rosa Junior College Jacob Blackwell – Santa Ana College Jacob Dunning – Palomar College Marcus Gebhart – Skyline College 165: 1. Michael Joseph – Palomar College 2. Matt Hickman – Fresno City College 3. Robin Callas – Sierra College 4. Owen Kraugh – Lassen College 5. Kevin Corbett – Fresno City College 6. Alex Cruz – Mt San Antonio College 7. Carlos Arana – Santa Ana College 8. Shawn Porter – Sacramento City College Honorable Mention: Adam Busch – Sacramento City College Amir Bashki – Cuesta College Dylan Clark – Cerritos College Johnny Padrazza – West Hills College Kaden Martin – Santa Rosa Junior College Marcus Ford – Sierra College Roman Orrea – Victor Valley College Von Borges – Santa Rosa Junior College 174: 1. Ryan McWatters – Victor Valley College 2. Jonathan Urango – Cuesta College 3. Tyler Brown – Sacramento City College 4. Joshua Newman – East LA College 5. Chris Bascon – Palomar College 6. Nathan Zarate – West Hills College 7. Bradley Beaudette – Cuesta College 8. Ryan Soto – Victor Valley College Honorable Mention: Ashton Morales – Santa Rosa Junior College Gabriel Fuentes – Sacramento City College Greg Robinson – Santa Rosa Junior College Paul Aurre – Sacramento City College Sergio Guerrero – Mt San Antonio College Vince Paloanco – Chabot College 184: 1. Kenny Breaux – Mt San Antonio College 2. Tyree Cox – Cerritos College 3. Erik Gomez – Modesto Junior College 4. Will Gockel-Fiagge – Fresno City College 5. Quentin Becker – Sierra College 6. Matt Dakin – Sacramento City College 7. Lance Casteneda – Bakersfield College 8. Justice Cortez – West Hills College Honorable Mention: Alex Shea – Victor Valley College Blair Kittle – Sacramento City College Bryan Argueta – Fresno City College Juan Valladores – Cuesta College Logan Whalen – Sacramento City College Michael Anderson – West Hills College Tyler Wood – Sierra College 197: 1. Elder Cruz – Mt San Antonio College 2. Khymba Johnson – Sierra College 3. Tyler Smith – Cerritos College 4. Paul Lujano – Fresno City College 5. Geoff Merker Cuesta College 6. Matt Read – Palomar College 7. Alex Campos – Sacramento City College 8. Alonzo Ruiz – Fresno City College Honorable Mention: Chad Rodriguez – Santa Ana College George Knight – Cerritos College Henry Campos – West Hills College James Windom – Chabot College Roman Ermolov – Skyline College Ryan Mackey – Modesto Junior College Steven Whiteman – Delta College Tony Denison – Lassen College 285: 1. Daniel Gusev – Sierra College 2. Derrick Lee – West Hills College 3. Paul Buchanan – Sacramento City College 4. Bud Guinn – Santa Rosa Junior College 5. George Pacheco – Mt San Antonio College 6. Brandon Rucker – Mt San Antonio College 7. Julian Zuniga – East LA College 8. Daniel Ochoa – Modesto Junior College Honorable Mention: David Ali – Fresno City College Elmer Hamidy – Chabot College George Portillo – Fresno City College Kyle Clark – Sierra College Mark Trevino – Fresno City College Michael Robles – Modesto Junior College Timo Cervantes – Skyline College Travis Smith – Modesto Junior College Weston Hawkins – Cerritos College

Related Content: Brackets | Photos SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. -- At first glance of the brackets for the 8th annual Iron Horse Invitational, one may ask, "Where are the weight classes?" There were 31 brackets and all competitors weigh in before the invitation-only event. In each bracket, the wrestler's weigh near the same as one another, but talent is also a factor in grouping. It is a round robin of five where all in the bracket will wrestle one another. The wrestler with the best record is recognized as champion of the bracket. Mike Pongracz (Delaware Valley, N.J.) defeated Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.) en route to winning the championship in Bracket 14 (Photo/Rob Preston)Take Bracket 14. It consisted of a state champion, a state third and fifth-place finisher, and state qualifier, all from New Jersey ... oh and an NHSCA Junior Nationals champion from the state of New York. Mike Pongracz (Delaware Valley, N.J.) came out on top of that talented bracket by having the day of his life on Sunday. A fifth-place finisher in the New Jersey state tournament in 2012 at 126 pounds, Pongracz, after a first round bye, methodically defeated NHSCA Nationals champion Chris Araoz (Wantagh, N.Y.) in his first match 2-0. In Round 3 he upset 132-pound New Jersey state champion Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.) in the tiebreak of overtime 4-2. He was not done impressing onlookers as he beat Zach Hertling (Ocean Twp., N.J.) 13-0 in the fourth round of the round robin. Hertling placed third in the state as a freshman at 120 pounds last season. His day was over after he won his final match by forfeit. Pongracz defied the odds and swept through a "Who's Who" among Mid-Atlantic region wrestlers to have a fine start to his senior year. Darian Cruz (Bethlehem Catholic, PA) returned to the South Plainfield Police Athletic League gym after winning his bracket in 2011. Cruz is a recent Lehigh University commit and added weight to his frame for his senior year. Planning to compete in the 120-pound weight class in less than two weeks at the Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina, Cruz dominated his competition in Bracket 7 with a fall, major decision, and two decisions that were not indicative of the scores. Cruz, who won a Cadet National title in Greco-Roman in 2011, was joined by a new face to the tournament in fellow Fargo champion Josh Llopez (St. Mary's Ryken, MD). Llopez placed first in the Junior National freestyle competition in July of this year at 152 pounds. After competing for LaPlata High School in his first two years of high school, Llopez transferred to a private school and will compete in the National Prep tournament this season. In the first round of Bracket 23, Llopez was opposed by senior Wayne Stinson (Northern Burlington, N.J.). In a back-and-forth match, Stinson was victorious by a score of 8-5. Stinson is a previous Beast of the East placewinner who has 100 career victories in high school. That would be the only bout for Llopez as he was diagnosed with dehydration and did not compete the rest of the day. Bracket 1 featured three InterMat top 20 freshman. In the first bout of the morning, two InterMat Top 10 freshman squared off when No. 7 Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J.) scored a 5-0 decision over No. 10 Luke Karam (Bethlehem, Catholic, PA), a Cadet National freestyle runner-up in 2011. In the second round, Suriano defeated No. 20 Gage Curry (North Hills, PA) 5-1. Highly regarded, Suriano is a three-time Tulsa Nationals champion, which is considered the top youth wrestling tournament in the nation. Karam and Curry had their match in the fifth round with Karam winning by a 2-1 margin. Winning the Most Outstanding Wrestler award was Troy Heilmann (South Plainfield, N.J). His key victories were over New York state champion Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa, N.Y.) and New Jersey state fourth-place finisher Brian Hamann (Jackson Memorial). Heilmann was a state runner-up in 2012 at 120 pounds. He recently verbally committed to wrestle at the University of North Carolina. The Iron Horse Wrestling Club is directed by Gary Mezzacapo. He works tirelessly year-round to put the best field together by keeping the tournament to a low number of competitors, while keeping the level of competition at its highest. His work showed this year as wrestlers from as far north as Vermont and as far south as Florida, wrestled in this prestigious regional classic. It has come a long way in eight years and he continues to make the tournament tougher as time passes. His eventual goal is to have the top five wrestlers in the country at their weight class to attend. That sounds like a tall order but knowing Gary Mezzacapo, he will find a way to achieve it through his network of connections throughout the country.

Anthony Robles

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships will take place Saturday, Dec. 29-Sunday, Dec. 30, inside Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena and more than 30 Division I teams, along with an assortment of national champions and finalists from Division II and III programs, are participating in this historic event. The annual tournament regularly features some of the top programs in the country. Of the 32 Division I teams at this year’s Midlands, 14 of them placed in the top-25 at the 2012 NCAA Championships. Northwestern also welcomes several newcomers to Midlands this year. Michigan, who won the first edition of the tournament in 1963, returns to Midlands for the first time since 2002. Oregon State, North Carolina and Binghamton were also added to the 50th anniversary field while Big Ten foe Nebraska returns after a year absence. Seven conference squads will be represented at Midlands as Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin are included in this year’s field. Northwestern placed second at the 2011 Midlands Championships, its best finish in school history. NU Midlands Champions Jason Welch (two-time All-American, 157 lbs.) and Lee Munster (174 lbs.) return to this year’s field, along with 2012 All-American heavyweight Mike McMullan. A complete list of Division I teams participating in the 50th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships can be found below: Division I Teams: Binghamton Buffalo Central Michigan Clarion Columbia Eastern Michigan Edinboro Harvard Hofstra Illinois Indiana Iowa State Kent State Lehigh Maryland Michigan Nebraska North Dakota State Northern Illinois Northern Iowa Northwestern North Carolina Oklahoma Oregon State Penn Pittsburgh Purdue Princeton Rider Stanford Virginia Tech Wisconsin

DES MOINES -- Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:01 Jim Andrassy, Kent State head wrestling coach 9:20 Ben Stehura, Cleveland State head wrestling coach 9:40 Kevin Hoogenboom, Lake Erie head wrestling coach 10:01 Dan Wirnsberger, Bucknell head wrestling coach 10:20 Anthony Robles, NCAA champion and author 10:50 Ken Kraft, Midlands founder Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? View archives. I've been in the process of moving for about ten days, which feels like three times that. I have effectively been moving for a month. The stress is overwhelming, but eventually your bed gets made, your ties get hung and the desk is restored to its proper order. But in the days before the satisfaction hits you, there are moments of pure insanity. What got me through? Television. There is no way to know for me to know what it felt like to only have I Love Lucy and Green Acres to watch every week, but it sounds ... limiting. Every night there is an hour-long program (45 minutes with DVR) that I must watch. HAVE TO WATCH. I don't like television all that much, and I despise video games, but I love a good story, and right now television is telling the best stories. Here are the five shows you must be watching if you are to be of any interest at a cocktail party: 1. Homeland: The best show on television. Read Andy Greenwald's stuff at Grantland, and he'll bring you through some of Season 1. 2. Dexter: Michael C. Hall kinda walks like a wrestler. Yes, he's a serial killer, but he's got a heart. Somewhere. Maybe. 3. Jeff Lewis' Flipping Out: Pure entertainment. He's a brilliant interior decorator who loves to goof off. It's not the manliest show to announce to readers that you enjoy, but I can't get enough. (This could be a result of the recent move and hoping to find "inspiration" for decorating my new place.) 4. Mad Men: The long-running "Best Show on TV," which has been dethroned by Homeland, or ... 5. Breaking Bad: If you like Meth, I guess it's cool. Nobody asked but I know you'll want to hear this. Remember that insufferable cement-head Trev Alberts,? He's the former Nebraska football player and ESPN College Gameday announcer, who miraculously became AD at the University of Nebraska-Omaha having never coached a team, or run a business, and who eliminated the school's storied wrestling program the night they won the DII national championship. WELL. Karma's a bitch, Trev. The little brat had made public his desire to vault himself from Omaha into the AD position at Nebraska once Tom Osborne left. Well Osborne is leaving January 1, but instead of hiring Alberts the school chose University of Miami AD Shawn Eichorst. Gloating won't bring the team back, but it brings immense gratification to know that Albert's BIG PLAN to revive the UNO athletics program by cutting the wrestling program got the wimp a whole lotta NOTHING. Now the quitter is left to live with his mistakes. I for one hope he's miserable and is left to reflect every night on his monumental irrelevancy. To your questions! Q: You mentioned before that you used to work in politics. Did you see the debates last night? What'd you think? Romney by tech fall? -- Chris L. Foley: I was once a young, idealistic politico. In college I was able to gain an internship with then-Speaker of the House Denny Hastert (IL-14), who is famously also a former wrestling coach. My experience on the Hill was as much about gawking at the political celebrities as it was learning the inner workings of politics. I got to work on some cool assignments, but ultimately I spent my summer watching the Chandra Levy drama play out and hoping I wasn't dumb enough to take an interview with CBS News about "How are interns on the Hill really treated?" After college I worked on a campaign, had a massive falling out with the political process, and returned to the safety and warmth of the wrestling community. Through these experiences I learned one lesson about politics and elections that will always be true: No matter what you think of these guy's policies the majority of politicians I've met really do love their country and are good people. Who wins next month? Dunno. But I'm confident that both men will execute the duties of the office with integrity. Q: Any idea when we find out the site? Des Moines in 2013, Oklahoma City in 2014, what's after? I read St. Louis, Philly, and Atlanta all plan to bid on it. Atlanta would be interesting, thoughts? -- Frank C. Foley: I'd move to Atlanta and was disappointed to hear that they wouldn't be hosting the event. If we are going to move the event around, which I've written before is counter-productive, then we do need to get the event out of the Midwest and into the American South. Another excellent host city could have been Charlotte. Big, clean, and a major hub airport the costs of travel would be low and the crowds would really enjoy the city. I liked Oklahoma City in 2006, but would just as soon prefer to not return. Restaurants closed at 8 p.m.! And when fans and coaches can't eat, you get a lot of cranky people drinking too much booze on too empty of a stomach. Q: What was the best weight class in an NCAA tournament in terms of MMA success? I suggest 1992, 190 pounds. Randy Couture, Mark Kerr, Jeff Monson. Crazy how I stumbled into that, watching the most recent UFC fight night saw Gunnar Nelson fight, Googled him and saw he beat Jeff Monson in grappling, read that Monson was a Pac-10 champ in 1992 and then Googled the 1992 NCAA tournament. Crazy. -- Scott G. Foley: First, I love that you and I email. Maybe the mailbag isn't he place to draw out an old relationship, but it says something about our sport that we can be in constant communication. Here's the back story. Scott was the starting 157-pounder wrestler for N.C. State my junior season when I wrestled at the same weight class. We had hoped to see each other in the dual meet, but Scott was injured and at ACCs I was upset by the wrestler from UNC and didn't meet him in the finals. We've recounted over several emails how we would have liked to wrestle each other -- that our styles were so similar that the total points scored in the match was certain to have crested 30+. I should have won. Oddly, I also seem to remember a boozy night after NCAAs in Kansas City in 2002 where broken by a 1-2 performance and later the blackjack table, you gave me cab money for a ride back to the hotel. I ended up getting taken for a ride by my cab driver (I saw Kansas), but I got home safely. I think I owe you $60. Your question is interesting because of the old-ass names your research pulled. I've seen Jeff Monson grapple and fight but had NO IDEA he wrestled in college, much less became a Pac-10 champion. For Mark Kerr to be in the same bracket is impressive, mostly because MMA wasn't a career option in 1992. I started to research which bracket was THE most ridiculous in terms of NCAA to MMA, but quickly recognized the task as a massive time suck. Here are two that I found quickly and thought were interesting. 2002, 174 pounds: Jacob Volkmann, Gerald Harris, Nate Coy, and Josh Koscheck 2001, 197 pounds: Mark Munoz and Chael Sonnen There are plenty of others. Gray Maynard and Shane Roller were often in the same weights in college, and other guys like Urijah Faber slid into the lower weights. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that you'd find the highest concentration of MMA talent from the past ten years at 184 pounds and 157 pounds. Lightweights, too, but the upperweights seem to be making the biggest impact. Thanks again for the question. Check is in the mail ... Q: Has there been any Division I team to have 10 All Americans at one time? What is the most any Division I team has ever had had at one time? -- Rick Foley:Ten. 2001 NCAA champion Minnesota Gophers placed 'em all and won the team title with no national finalists. Wild stuff. Q: What ever happened to Frank Cagnina? He wrestled for Lehigh as a frosh then left and went to Iowa Central CC where he wrestled unattached. He then signed with Nebraska but he isn't on their 2012-2013 roster. -- Tom G Foley: Maybe Facebook isn't the most dependable research tool, but it looks like he's back in school, possibly in New Jersey. He had been trying to get into Nebraska but I think things fell through. However, he doesn't seem to be on the roster. He's a promising talent and I hope we can see him on the mats this season or next. Q: Who are your write-in champs for the season? Any dark horses? -- @dmarble33 Alan Waters earned a No. 3 seed at the 2012 NCAAs at 125 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: I don't want to shine too bright a light on my dark horses this early in the season, but there are always a handful of guys that could make a run at the NCAA title that are sometimes left unmentioned. First on my list is Alan "Running" Waters who has Sammie Henson devoting 12 hours a day seven days a week to making him an NCAA champion. Yes, Mighty McD is an almost lock to repeat, but if someone can creep in there and make this a finals to watch, I think it's the Bull's Waters. My upperweight pick will be Matt Brown. It's not as sexy, because by now we all kind of expect that he'll be in the hunt, but I have a sneaking suspicion we are looking at an undefeated season heading into Big Tens and likely the NCAA tournament. To win the title after only being back on the mats for one-plus seasons would, in my opinion, put him in the hunt for postseason awards. I don't often get too homerish about my beloved Cavaliers of Virginia, but I think you'll see as many as four All-Americans from them in 2013. It's a lofty expectation, but they've improved almost every year as a team and are loaded with talent, much of which might be labeled dark horse. Look out for heavyweight Derek Papagianopoulos. Q: Round-Robin Open Weight Battle of the Children's Television All-Stars -Bill Nye the Science Guy -Barney the Purple Dinosaur -Mr. Rogers the Human -Pee Wee Herman -Steve from Blues Clues -Levar Burton the Readin' Rascal -Big Bird the Big Bird -Wishbone the Jack Russell -- Willy D. Foley: After last night's debates I can only tell you that nobody has the popularity of the big yellow bird. Yowza. That upright bird has been entertaining kids for 30+ years and has a good enough reputation to not only be tossed about in a presidential debate, but to then trend and tweet on Twitter. Second place goes to Bill Nye the Science Guy for his incredible rants. Note: I love the bow tie. Dora the Explorer took third. She knows 27 dialects of Mandarin and once crafted a canoe from old backpacks and shoelaces. You really entered Pee Wee Herman? Sick bastard!

USA Wrestling wrapped up another day of competition today at the World University Wrestling Championships in Kourtane, Finland. Minnesota heavyweight Tony Nelson competed for the men’s freestyle team in the 120 kg/264.5 lb. weight class and worked his way to a fourth place finish, for the top USA finish of the day. Nelson started the day against his original draw, Sunny Dhinsa of Canada, and a win (0-1, 1-0, 1-1). He then advanced to face Iran’s Parviz Hadi in the quarterfinals. Hadi prevailed 2-0, 3-0 to knock Nelson into the consolation round. Now working towards bronze, Nelson only needed two periods to take care of Richard Csercsics (Hungary), winning 3-2, 1-0. Nelson battled O. Khotsianivskyi (Ukraine) in the third place match. Despite a solid effort, Nelson fell 0-1, 0-4 to finish fourth in the event. Nelson will return to Minnesota for his sophomore season an looks to defend his 2012 NCAA Heavyweight National Championship title.

InterMat's T.R. Foley and Mike Riordan welcome a special guest. Also, new weekly guest Brian Muir puts the lines on potential NCAA team champions.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 125 pound weight class bout at the 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will feature Nico Megaludis of Pennsylvania State University wrestling against Jesse Delgado of the University of Illinois, in a match of two of the top freshman from a year ago. Nico Megaldudis reached the NCAA finals as a true freshman at 125 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Megaludis looks to continue to build on his mounting success from the 2011-2012 season where he finished fifth at the Big 10 Championships and second at the NCAA Championships. Megaludis earned All-American status for his second place finish, making him Penn Stat'’s first true-freshman All-American since current Nittany Lion Quentin Wright earned the honor in 2009 at 174 pounds. Megaludis, who was the 10th seed, had an excellent run through the NCAA tournament as he defeated the 2nd, 6th and 7th seeds to make the finals before falling to Matt McDonough of Iowa, in a 4-1 decision in the finals. Megaludis finished the season 28-8, 11-3 in duals and 5-3 in Big 10 competition. Delgado, also has a an outstanding freshman campaign where he finished third at the Big 10 championships and seventh at the NCAA Championships, earning him All-American honors. Delgado finished the season 34-7, 16-4 in duals and 6-2 in Big 10 competition. The NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will occur on November 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington D.C. The NWCA All-Star classic is hosted by the DC Athletic Club and Greater Washington Business Network and is also sponsored by Balance Bar. To purchase tickets to the event visit American University’s website at http://aueagles.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=507577. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA Facebook and Twitter pages. The NWCA Classic serves as a premier event to help grow the sport of wrestling. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the sport in the Washington DC area.

Bellator's Season 7 heavyweight tournament kicks off on Oct. 5, and after breaking down the matchups, John and Richard interview tournament participant Mark Holata. Holata came up short in the last heavyweight competition, but bounced back with a win over Abe Wagner. Now he will face UFC veteran Vinicius Queiroz to begin the race to replace retiring champion Cole Konrad. Also on the show, Richard and John take a look at the UFC on FX 5 event, featuring a heavyweight clash between Travis Browne and Antonio Silva and a flyweight title eliminator pitting John Dodson against Jussier "Formiga" da Silva. Do you want to listen to a past episode? View archives.

The University of Minnesota has two wrestlers competing this week at the World University Wrestling Championships in Kourtane, Finland as members of the USA men’s freestyle team. Former Gopher Zach Sanders (Lauderdale, Minn.) and current heavyweight starter, and reigning NCAA National Champion, Tony Nelson (Cambridge, Minn.) after qualifying at the University Trials in Colorado Springs in late August. Sanders, who finished eighth in the 2008 Junior World Championships, took the international stage today to vie for the 55 kg/121 lb. title, while Nelson will take his turn on the mat tomorrow in the 120 kg/264.5 lb. group. Sanders plowed through three adversaries to reach the final, before ultimately finishing second place. The four-time All-American drew Artem Kolomiiets (Ukraine) for the first round in a pool of 11 wrestlers. The pair faced off this morning with sanders taking home the 2-0, 2-0 victory. He then moved to the quarterfinals where he defeated Steven Takahashi of Canada in three periods by scores of 1-2, 2-1, 4-1. Next stop on the ladder to the championship was Batbold Sodnomdash of Mongolia. Once again, Sanders prevailed in three (1-5, 1-1, 3-0). Russia’s K. Donduk-Ool would be Sanders’ final test of the event. After a hard battle, Sanders fell 0-1, 2-6 to the Russian, finishing in second and taking home the silver for the United States. To follow along with results and recaps of the event, visit USA Wrestling at www.themat.com.

With the high school wrestling season' start approaching, InterMat will be taking fans across the United States of America on a tour of scholastic wrestling. From now until the middle of November, InterMat will introduce fans to the top high school senior wrestlers in the 49 states with scholastic wrestling. From Alaska to Florida, and Maine to California, fans will gain exposure to future college and senior level stars. Led by a pair of InterMat Top 100 recruits, this group of 10 representing the Empire State is unique in the fact that of those being recognized, only three have won individual NYS titles in their respective divisions, including a two-timer in both DI and DII. Therefore, if you were to look at total number of state titles earned, the number five may falsely cause you to believe that this current class is weaker than the ones that came before it. We can assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike some of their ancestors, the "it quality" of the Class of 2013 is the breadth of success they have enjoyed outside the comforts of their own state. Combining for two NHSCA Nationals champions, 12 NHSCA All-Americans, two FloNational All-Americans, four Junior National freestyle All-Americans, and a Junior National Greco-Roman All-American, this dirty dozen knows how to get the job done when the bright lights are shined upon them. With four of the chosen 10 having already committed to DI schools (oddly enough, they all selected Binghamton), and the six remaining all being heavily recruited by schools in respective NCAA DI power conferences, the proof is in the pudding. These kids are winners and more importantly, they all are leaders and role models for their schools. The current senior class in New York was so deep than when you look at those who missed the cut and had to settle for honorable mention distinction, you will find a 2012 NHSCA Junior National champion, a 2012 NYS DII champion, as well as several state runners-up. Note: InterMat No. 85 recruit, Nicky Hall (formerly of Longwood; currently attending Wyoming Seminary) was originally selected to this list. As a two-time NYS DI placewinner/2012 state runner-up, who had earned multiple NHSCA All-American honors, Hall figured to be slotted in the No. 3 or No. 4 spot. Because it has since been announced that Hall will be completing two years at the Scott Green-run prep school powerhouse, the second generation stud will be included in the 2014 edition of this series. 1. Zack Zupan (Canastota/NYS DII) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 182 Projected College Weight Class: 184 College Plans: Committed to Binghamton Zack Zupan (Photo/Boris Veysman)Analysis: The future Bearcat student-athlete has been an impact performer since day No. 1, placing in all three of his trips to Albany, including a state title effort last season in a loaded 170-pound bracket, which included the likes of current Edinboro freshman Nick Mitchell (who had been undefeated in 2012 before dropping the 3-2 decision to Zupan in the state finals), Burke Paddock (the InterMat No. 40-ranked junior), and fellow class of 2013 Top 10 member Troy Seymour. In his first two attempts at the brass ring, Zupan put forth strong showings, finishing fourth at 160 as a freshman and fifth at 171 as a sophomore, despite competing at weights usually controlled by upperclassmen. The No. 87-ranked wrestler in his class per InterMat, Zupan has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a force to be reckoned with, both state-wide and against the nation's best. A two-time finalist in Virginia Beach at the NHSCA Nationals, Zupan was a national champion in 2010, falling one "w" short of the repeat as a sophomore. His success on the national scene would continue in 2012 when he upended two-time New Jersey state champion Ryan Harrington (now competing for the University of North Carolina) in leading Team New York to the upset victory over the Garden State in the second annual NY/NJ All-Star Charity Challenge. The win snapped Harrington's 84-match winning streak. Zupan would put an emphatic cap on his junior campaign, earning his third career All-American distinction with an eighth-place finish at the 2012 FloNationals. Zupan heads into senior year as the No. 11-ranked wrestler in the land (at 170) per Flowrestling.com. Words From the Corner: "He has been a true pleasure to coach. He is self motivated and driven. By the time he was 2 you could tell he was different than most kids. He was so focused on what he was doing at any given time that he did not go from one thing to the next like other kids. Case in point, when he was 2-years-old, I would take him bullhead fishing at my assistant coach's house. We would be amazed at how he would focus on those poles for hours. He'd catch one after another, and when I would tell him it was time to go he would beg to stay. Such was also true of his wrestling. He would attend every varsity tournament with me and, by the age of five would ask, 'Dad who is the best three guys in this gym?' I would tell him who I thought were the best and he would go to the mats those kids were wrestling on and study them the entire day. That was when I knew he was going to be something special. He has meant a lot to our program since he was in seventh grade and our starting 135-pounder. He has been a team leader for years and has helped to develop other kids on the team, enabling them to reach their potential. He was pivotal in leading Canastota to an improbable section 3 team title last season, dethroning six-time champ Phoenix." -- Canastota coach (and Zack's father) Nick Zupan, a 1985 NYS placewinner (4th at 138). Career Highlights: Three-time NYS DII placewinner (4th in '10 at 160; 5th in '11 at 171; 2012 NYS champion at 170) Two-time NHSCA All-American (National champion in 2010 at 160; National Runner-up in 2011 at 171) 2012 FloNationals All-American (8th at 170) 2. Nick Kelley (Shenendehowa/NYS DI) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 132/138 Projected College Weight Class: 141 College Plans: Committed to Binghamton Nick Kelley (Photo/John Carl D'Annibale, Times Union)Analysis: The first of two Shenendehowa student-athletes profiled, Kelley, the No. 93-ranked recruit from the current class, made it two-for-two for new Binghamton head wrestling coach Matt Dernlan when he verbally committed to the CAA Conference school in late August. Despite not having an individual state crown to don his mantel, many consider Kelley to be a lock to walk through the 2013 DI tournament, due in large part to the magnitude of his accomplishments on the national stage. Considered the pound-for-pound best wrestler in the Empire State without the hardware, Kelley has been an integral and irreplaceable component in Shenendehowa's back-to-back state team titles. A shoe-in to join the exclusive club of six-time NYS tournament qualifiers, Kelley had to endure some hardships, failing to reach the podium in his first three trips to the Times Union Center. However, true to his fighting spirit and the passion he feels for the world's oldest and greatest sport, Kelley would never get down on himself, combating defeat with additional hard work. The blood, sweat, and tears shed by the longtime Journeymen WC member would finally pay off in 2011 when Kelley earned his first New York state placement, taking fourth at 130 pounds with his only losses coming at the hands of a pair of eventual NCAA DI wrestlers Steven Rodrigues (the eventual state champion who is currently wrestling for the University of Illinois) and Chris Perez (who finished third in NYS in 2011 and was a NHSCA Senior National runner-up prior to becoming the starting 133-pounder for the Princeton University Tigers). As a junior, Kelley would be the victim of seeding criteria, as facts and figures won out over common sense, resulting in the two best 132-pound wrestlers in the state meeting in the semifinals. Pitted against nationally ranked Jamel Hudson (now a freshman at Hofstra University), Kelley would push the pace and be relentless in his attacks, coming just inches away from a takedown on the edge of the mat in the closing seconds, before having to accept the 8-7 loss. To his credit, the Plainsmen team captain would shake off the loss quickly, dominating his final two matches of the weekend en route to the bronze medal Ranked by Flo as the No. 6 132-pounder in the country heading into his swan song, if there was one wrestler who really solidified his stock after the high school season had concluded, it was Kelley. A 5-1 winner over New Jersey state champion Scott Delvecchio in the aforementioned Charity Challenge, Kelley would save his best performance to date for the FARGODOME, finishing fourth at the Junior National freestyle competition. This impressive showing marked the third time that the Section II representative would earn All-American accolades, adding it to a resume that also included a fifth-place showing at the 2011 FloNational tournament and a third-place finish as a freshman at NHSCA Nationals. Words From the Corner: (Speaking on what makes his wrestler effective) "Nick Kelley is an "old-school, throw-back" wrestler. In my 20 years of coaching wrestling, I have not had a wrestler as tenacious as he is. Add into that a work ethic that is off the scale, and you begin to see why Nick is an effective wrestler. Nick is a 12-month-a-year wrestler. Additionally, Nick has spent a lifetime developing a style of wrestling that is very hard to compete with. When most wrestlers concede in a scramble or situation, Nick takes everything to the next level. His style tends to "break" his opponents." -- Shenendehowa head wrestling coach Rob Weeks. (Speaking on the leadership abilities of his wrestler) "You couldn't ask for a better role model in your room than Nick Kelley. He truly lives the clean life. If Nick isn't wrestling, he's practicing wrestling. If he's not practicing wrestling, he's fishing or hunting or camping. Additionally, he has a strong relationship with his family. They have invested with Nick into the sport of wrestling and they have helped guide him through the process. Nick is adamantly opposed to the "party" lifestyle. He definitely lives his life above the temptations that others succumb to. The other wrestlers on the team know that and aspire to be like Nick. He is definitely a lead-by-example type of captain." -- R. Weeks (On the overall make-up of his wrestler) "Nick Kelley has the best work ethic I have ever seen. It's just tremendous; off the charts. And, in regards to both him and David [Almaviva], both are incredibly respectful. They are good citizens; they are good wholesome guys. And it translates on the mat; it's great when that happens. It's not always the case where guys have both talent and character. I think that when it does work out that way, it's like seeing the 'good guy' win. Everything kind of feeds off the other and in the end, it just works." -- Shendendehowa assistant wrestling coach/Journeymen Wrestling Club founder & head coach Frank Popolizio Career Highlights: Two-time NYS DI placewinner (4th in 2011 at 130; 3rd in 2012 at 132) 2010 NHSCA Freshman All-American (3rd) 2011 FloNationals All-American (5th at 125) 2012 Junior freestyle All-American (4th at 132) 3. Nick Tighe (Phoenix/NYS DII) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 132 Projected College Weight Class: 133/141 College Plans: Committed to Binghamton Nick TigheAnalysis: The Division II 126-pound bracket was full of intrigue last February with several standouts and storylines. Tristan Rifanburg (the No. 45 ranked sophomore according to InterMat) looked for his third straight finals appearance as a freshman. Corey Dake (brother of former two-time NYS DII champion/three-time NCAA champion Kyle) was attempting to get an elusive title after placing in each of his three previous attempts in Albany. Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (rated as the No. 49 overall prospect in the junior class), fresh off of a summer that witnessed him become a Cadet freestyle All-American (fourth at 125) aimed to make his mark. But at the end of the tournament, it was Tighe topping the podium for the second straight year after pinning three of his four opponents and surviving a late charge from Rodriguez-Spencer in the finals to prevail by a score of 13-8. This title effort made him the first wrestler in school history to win multiple state crowns. He'll go for his fourth All-State finish (having complemented his two titles with a fifth-place showing in 2010 at 112 pounds) and a third New York state crown in 2013 for Coach "Mean" Gene Mills. Tighe has proven time and time again that his achievements aren't limited to the Empire State borders. Nationally, he has twice placed at the NHSCA Nationals, taking fourth at 112 as a freshman and seventh at 119 as a sophomore. Just last month, Tighe posted an unblemished 7-0 record at the inaugural National Hall of Fame Duals. He enters his senior season currently ranked 15th in the nation per Flo. Words From the Corner: (On what makes his wrestler successful on the mat) "Nick (Tigi Monster) puts a lot of time on the mat and wants to make sure his technique is perfect so he can't be countered. He works hard on his setups and tries to finish almost every move taking his opponent to their backs. Nick is a high-intensity competitor and makes many of his opponents want to quit in the middle of a match due to the intense pressure he imposes on his opponents." -- Phoenix head wrestling coach, Gene Mills (On the leadership qualified possessed by Tighe) "Nick is a great leader by example, always focusing on the task at hand and encouraging others. Nick's leadership elevates everyone on the team, especially the ones who work out with him on the mat. After wrestling with his partners, he always tries to offer words of encouragement and help them try to be better also. Nick is one in a billion and the Phoenix Wrestling program is blessed to have such a great role model." -- G. Mills Career Highlights: Three-time NYS NYS DII placewinner/two-time state champion (5th in 2010 at 112; state champion in 2011 at 119; state champion in 2012 at 126) Two-time NHSCA All-American (4th in 2010 at 112; 7th in 2011 at 119) 4. Tyler Grimaldi (Half Hollow Hills West/NYS DI) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 160 Projected College Weight Class: 157/165 College Plans: Considering Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Penn, Hofstra, Virginia, Arizona State, Bucknell, and North Carolina State Tyler GrimaldiAnalysis: A wrestler with the heart of a lion and the gas tank of a Honda CR-Z, Grimaldi enjoyed a breakout season in 2012, making the most of his first NYS tournament appearance, finishing as the state runner-up at 160 pounds behind only fellow Long Islander/2012 NHSCA Senior National champion Dylan Palacio (a 2012 Top 10 senior honoree; Cornell recruit who will join the Big Red in 2014). As impressive as this showing may have been, those who have followed Grimaldi closely during his scholastic career suggested that we are only now seeing the depth of this young man's potential. He possesses as high a ceiling as any prospect in the Empire State, regardless of grade level. Every time he steps on the mat, he seems to learn something and get just that much better. When you consider that he went 48-2 last season, the thought that he might have another gear that he has yet to show should strike fear into the hearts of all 160-pounders across New York State and beyond. Equally outstanding is the job Grimaldi does in the classroom, making him nothing if not the true embodiment of what it means to be a student-athlete. It is this double-barreled weaponry of brains and brawn that makes Tyler such a dream recruit for interested college coaches. The lucky school that lands him will know that they are getting that .5-percent gentleman who will always handle his responsibilities and who will never fail to represent his school and sport with utter class and honor. A force on the national scene the past few months, Grimaldi became the first member of the 2013 Top 10 to earn multiple All-American distinctions as a junior. A testament to his versatility, Grimaldi proved just how quick his learning curve was when a few months removed from placing fourth at the NHSCA Junior National tournament, he made the journey to Fargo to compete in freestyle, a discipline in which he had only recently begun serious training. However, just like Roy Hobbs took to baseball, Grimaldi would show himself to be a natural, finishing sixth in Junior freestyle in a very deep weight class consisting of the creme de la creme of upperclassmen, including the No. 3 overall prospect from the current senior class Isaiah Martinez (California) and the No. 27 ranked member of the class of 2013 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota; committed to the University of Minnesota). Grimaldi will begin his quest for the state title that escaped him as the 15th-ranked wrestler in the land at his weight. Words From the Corner: (On speaking about what makes his wrestler so successful) "Tyler is the whole package. He has all of the talents needed to be a successful wrestler. What he has that many kids do not is a tenacious desire to be the best at whatever he is doing. Being that Tyler only started wrestling in the eighth grade, he had a lot of catching up to do. He has put in more work over the past two years then most wrestlers do in a lifetime." -- Hills West head wrestling coach/former two-time NCAA All-American Mike Patrovich (On what makes Tyler Grimaldi a great leader/example for the team) "I have built my program around Tyler Grimaldi. He is the best example of what every student-athlete should strive to be like. He is a natural leader and the kids flock to him. He is a great example of what a wrestler should be like both on and off the mat. Tyler is already the most accomplished wrestler in the history Hills West High School and still has one more year to go! Tyler has lifted our program from one of the worst in Suffolk County to a top ten program!" -- M. Patrovich Career Highlights: 2012 NYS DI Runner-up at 160 2012 NHSCA Junior National All-American (4th at 160) 2012 Junior freestyle All-American (6th at 160) 5. Tim Schaefer (Warsaw/NYS DII) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 182/195 Projected College Weight Class: 184/197 Tim Schaefer (Photo/Pete Rao & Pete Roetzer)Analysis: Question: Which member of New York's Class of 2013 leads the race for most appearances on the podium in Albany? Answer: Tim Schaefer. The current Warsaw senior has qualified for the state tournament five times and has placed in four of them. He began his career in Division I with Lancaster in Section 6 before moving to Warsaw. As a seventh-grader, Schaefer began his medal run with a sixth-place finish in a meat grinder of a 96-pound weight bracket that saw every person who finished ahead of him either win a state title (Bob Dierna, Sean McCormick, Damon McQueen, and three-time champion Brian Realbuto) or make a state finals appearance (Matt Ross). Schaefer would equal the feat the following year at 103. He was fourth at 112 as a sophomore before taking third up several weight classes at 182 this past campaign. His junior year included several quality wins, including victories over the Division I champion and runner-up (John Glenn's Nick Bellanza and Scarsdale's Jacob Berkowitz, respectively). His ability to compete with the best in the state since seventh grade in a wide range of weights bodes well for his future. Words From the Corner: (On what makes his wrestler a winner) "Tim Schaefer is extremely humble and hard working, but what sets him apart from the rest is that his tenacity and the way that he evaluates himself after a match and constantly works to get better. Being tenacious is what makes Tim able to climb mountains and leap obstacles, and with the spirit of a champion Tim will continue to be without limits." -- Warsaw head wrestling coach, Rob Hirsch (On the effect that Tim Schaefer's success has on the Warsaw program) "Tim provides leadership by example during practice and on the mat working nonstop from whistle to whistle. But most of all for a team that continues to compete at the highest levels Tim brings a laidback cool and confident demeanor that relaxes the team so they can wrestle their best in intense situations." -- R. Hirsch Career Highlights: Five-time NYS tournament qualifier Four-time NYS placewinner (6th in 2008 at 96; 6th in 2009 at 103; 4th in 2011 at 112; 3rd in 2012 at 182) 6. Troy Seymour (Peru/NYS DII) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 170/182 Projected College Weight Class: 174 College Plans: Considering Rider and Kent State Troy Seymour (Photo/Keith Lodell)Analysis: If there is one wrestler from this group of 10 that has seemingly done his best wrestling when competing on the grandest stages, it is Seymour. Similar to 2012 Top 10 list members, the previously mentioned Palacio and current Brown University freshman Anthony Finocchiaro during the duration of his scholastic career, Seymour has shown an uncanny ability to flip the switch and elevate his game to an entirely different level when opposed by foes from across the nation. A three-time NYS tournament qualifier for perennially strong Peru, Seymour got his first taste of the medal stand as a junior, finishing fourth at 170 pounds behind a plethora of current and future DI wrestlers (Zupan, Mitchell, and Paddock). Turning the page and looking at his curricula vitae on the national stage, there might not be a more accomplished wrestler in the Top 10 than Seymour. An All-American at every grade level in Virginia Beach, Seymour will head into senior year on a bit of a hot streak, having put forth his best finish ever at the NHSCA-run event, finishing as the national runner-up at 170 pounds. In the two years that preceded this finals appearance, the Section 7 wrestler mustered a fifth place showing as a freshman at 145, followed by a sixth-place finish at 152 pounds. Words From the Corner: (On the passion his wrestler feels for the sport of wrestling) "Troy likes wrestling more than 99 percent of the kids I've ever coached. It's all about wrestling. He's always doing something related to wrestling. He follows Division I closely, gets magazines, follows everything online, and coaches the peewees. He'll go to a tournament a day earlier just to coach the little kids. He just loves the sport. He's never said no when I've asked him to go to a tournament. We're at least five hours away from most events. He's probably spent more time in a car than any New York kid his age travelling to tournaments, but he's willing to go anywhere. He's really competitive." -- Peru head wrestling coach Mike Hogan (On what Troy Seymour has approved upon and how he foresees his wrestler's success at the next level) "Whatever college Troy chooses will be getting a good one. He's young for his grade and he's gotten a lot more physical over the past year after weightlifting hard. He's always been good on his feet and on bottom and he could ride. But the difference last year was that he could turn people. He became a lot more effective on top." -- M. Hogan Career Highlights: Three-time NYS DII tournament qualifier 2012 NYS DII placewinner (4th at 170) Three-time NHSCA All-American (5th in 2010 at 145; 6th in 2011 at 152; National runner-up in 2012 at 170) 7. David Almaviva (Shenendehowa/NYS DI) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 145 Projected College Weight Class: 141/149 College Plans: Committed to Binghamton David AlmavivaAnalysis: Much like Grimaldi, 2012 was a coming-out party for Almaviva, as he unleashed all of the raw potential he showed as a schoolboy when he placed as the NHSCA National Middle School runner-up in 2009. A DI state qualifier as a sophomore, Almaviva just missed making All-State by a single victory, dropping a hard-fought decision to the previously referenced Hudson in the money round. However, in compliance with the lessons and virtues preached in the Plainsmen wrestling room, loss was not met by sulking, but rather by growth and development. These are characteristics centered on a sense of perseverance were ones that would aid Almaviva this past February when again he found himself in a spot that neither he, nor his team expected him to be. Upset in the first match of the 2012 DI tournament, it would have been easy for the future Bearcat (a bit of pattern is emerging here among college selections) to cash in his chips and mentally check out. But alas, that simply is not the Shen way. Instead, Almaviva would pick himself off the ground and go on finish the weekend on a five match winning streak (including a 4-1 decision win over top-seeded Dan McDevitt in the consolation semifinals) en route to a bronze medal showing at 138 pounds. Priding himself on being more than just a folkstyle specialist, Almaviva would open a lot of eyes and turn more than his fair share of heads during the summer months, first knocking off two-time Junior National freestyle All-American/four-time DII state champion/current Indiana freshman Quinton Murphy at the NYS freestyle tournament. Almaviva's encore would be even better as he entered the confines of the FARGODOME a relative unknown, but left it a few days later as an All-American, finishing eighth at 145 pounds (with his three losses coming at the hands of a trio of InterMat Top 100 recruits, No. 7 Brian Murphy (Illinois), No. 37 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), and No. 65 Austin Eads (Missouri). Words From the Corner: (On the reasons his wrestler is so successful) "David Almaviva is a very gifted athlete. He naturally has that advantage over a lot of opponents. Add to that his commitment and work-ethic, and he becomes a very effective wrestler. David is a 12-month-a-year wrestler. He is very quick on his feet. That is, he often has his opponents reacting to his offensive movement, only to take them down with an explosive leg attack. Additionally, he has a very strong for his weight. When riding an opponent, he often takes them out of the match with an array of tilts and turns." -- Shenendehowa head wrestling coach Rob Weeks (On the strengths that David Almaviva brings to the Shen wrestling room) "David is very focused on the 'objective' when he enters the wrestling room. He tends to bring other wrestlers up to a higher level when they train with him. Again, David is a very gifted wrestler and a lot of technique comes relatively easy to him. So having David in the room is like having an assistant coach in the room. He can assist in the breakdown of technique to guys on the team who may struggle with it. Additionally, David has a dry sense of humor that can break up the monotony that can build up during the season. David has been part of the varsity program since seventh grade and he has developed a level of respect that comes with the time he has spent with us." -- R. Weeks (On what makes David Almaviva special) "David has some of the best technique I have ever seen. He is like an encyclopedia; he just picks it up; he sees it once, he's got it, and then he can implement it. So While he and Nick [Kelley] have their different strengths, they work together all the time, and as a tandem, they bring the best out of each other." -- Frank Popolizio, Shenendehowa assistant wrestling coach/founder & head coach of the Journeymen WC Career Highlights: Two-time NYS DI qualifier/2012 DI State placewinner (3rd at 138) 2012 Junior freestyle All-American (8th at 145) 8. Nick Lupi (Huntington/NYS DI) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 220 Projected College Weight Class: 285 Nick Lupi (Photo/Huntington Public School Distric)Analysis: A wrestler who made this list perhaps not because of his feats to date, but because of the immense potential he has shown. In speaking to Empire State wrestling aficionados, the theme that has emerged is that we are still at the tip of the iceberg in regard to Lupi's development. To say that he is right up there with fellow Suffolk Country peer Grimaldi in terms of the depth of his potential is an understatement. Lupi still has another level that he feasibly can reach; a frightening notion when you consider that nationally he has already announced his presence with authority, winning a NHSCA National title as sophomore in 2011, before finishing in the top four as a junior last season. It is for this reason this he was a "must have" addition to this list. With co-writer Matt Diano having dropped the ball on guys like Tony Fusco, Tony Lock, and Kyle Stanton last season, there was no way we were going to allow for another ultra talented big man go unrecognized. As the lone returning medalist at his weight class, not only is Lupi a sure-fire guarantee to improve upon last season's fifth-place showing in his first trip to the state's capital, he is also the frontrunner to walk away with the hardware. Flowrestling.com thought so highly of him that they ranked Lupi as 19th-ranked 220-pounder in the country. Words From the Corner: "Nick Lupi has what all our former champions have: Desire, discipline, and determination. Nick has set some high goals for this upcoming season and will not let up until they all are achieved. Having Nick improve each and every year for the past five years shows others that, commitment and hard work pays off. He has done this not only on the wrestling mat, but in the classroom as well." -- Huntington head wrestling coach Kieran Mock Career Highlights: 2012 NYS DI placewinner (5th at 220) Two-time NHSCA All-American (National champion in 2011 at 220; 4th in 2012 at 220) 9. Kyle Kelly (Chenango Forks/NYS DI) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 113 Projected College Weight Class: 125 College Plans: Considering Cornell, Binghamton, Bucknell, and Ithaca (NCAA DIII) Kyle Kelly (Photo/Erin Kelly)Analysis: The most accomplished wrestler to come out of the Forks program since former five-time NYS champion/four-time NCAA All-American (Cornell) Troy Nickerson, on paper, Kelly might be the most credentialed wrestler in this year's Top 10. A pure three-style competitor, Kelly has come, seen, and conquered in every style of the sport known to man. In fact, he is so multidimensional that if tomorrow someone told him to start practicing sambo, by year's end, the smart money would be on him being a champion in the Russian style. Unfortunately, what has hurt Kelly and resulted in such a low placement on this list is his lack of size. A three-year All-State wrestler/the two-time defending New York state champion at the lightweight weight class (96/99), there is some concern whether or not this immensely gifted student-athlete has the frame to eventually fill out to a college-sized 125 pounds. If Kyle is indeed able to add the necessary muscle mass in the coming years, he could end of being the biggest steal of the bunch as a premier career 125-pounder is not easy to come by. With the plan being to jump two weight classes to 113 in 2013, Kelly will have every opportunity in the world to demonstrate that his unmatched level of success down low is easily replicable as he moves up. As noted above, when it comes to the scope of one's national resume, few, if any, wrestler in the Empire State (regardless of grade) can stand toe-to-toe with the wealth of success enjoyed by the Section 4 standout. A 2012 NHSCA Junior National All-American (fifth at 106), Kelly has no doubt proven how adept he is when competing in folkstyle. However, it is his diverse accomplishments in the international styles that set him apart from many of his colleagues. A two-time Junior Greco-Roman All-American (a pair of seventh-place finishes at 98 pounds in 2011 and 106 points in 2012 respectively, Kelly just missed being a double junior AA this past summer, coming a single victory short of the podium in Fargo. Words From the Corner: "Kyle is a very dedicated, intelligent, and committed three-sport student-athlete. Plus, he has earned All-American status in all three styles of wrestling, folk-style, freestyle, and Greco-Roman. This level of athleticism and versatility allows Kyle to make improvements in each and every practice. Thus, when Kyle and senior teammate Jake Green work out in our wrestling room they both model a work ethic and wrestling proficiency that all wrestlers from youth level to varsity try to emulate. The Chenango Forks wrestling community is very proud of Kyle's accomplishments, in the classroom, and in both state and national tournaments." -- Chenango Forks head wrestling coach/2009 USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year recipient Rick Gumble Career Highlights: Three-time NYS DI placewinner (4th in 2010 at 96; 1st in 2011 at 96; 1st in 2012 at 99) Two-time Junior National Greco-Roman All-American (7th in 2011 at 98; 7th in 2012 at 106) 2012 NHSCA Junior All-American (5th at 106) 10. John "Trey" Aslanian (Edgemont/NYS DII) Projected 2012-2013 High School Weight Class: 120 Projected College Weight Class: 125 College Plans: Considering Harvard, Princeton, and Penn Analysis: If there was an award at the New York tournament given to the student-athlete who came the closest to winning it all, then that honor would be to Aslanian who in 2011 had eventual state champion William Koll on his back early into their 106-pound finals before losing a 50/50 position and getting pinned. In 2012, the dual threat (smarts + athleticism) would again find himself on center stage, but for the second time in as many years would have to settle for the bridesmaid spot on the podium, dropping a 5-0 decision to a wrestler who got hot at the right time, Sean Peacock (who had defeated Koll earlier in the day in the state semifinals). In his only non-finals appearance in 2010, Aslanian would just narrowly miss making it an 3-for-3 sweep, dropping his semifinal bout by the slimmest of margins, 6-5, to eventual state runner-up Drew Longo. Aslanian would win two of his remaining three bouts to emerge with a solid fifth in his Times Union Center debut. John "Trey" AslanianNationally, Aslanian has opted to test himself against the country's best in the international styles. A 2011 Junior freestyle All-American (eighth at 112), Aslanian would add an additional bullet point to his collective body of work, compiling a 7-1 overall record at the 2012 Junior National Duals in freestyle. While his attempt to repeat as Junior National All-American in Fargo would be an unsuccessful one, his 4-2 record under the dome more than confirms that he remains one to watch in 2013. Words From the Corner: "I think Trey's biggest strength is the amount of time he puts into honing his craft. He's very technical for a high school wrestler and he spends lots of time drilling. He watches films of himself and standout wrestlers from around the world. He figures out why some things work and others don't. He's a real student of the game. If you line him up against the best in the state, he won't be the strongest kid or the best natural athlete. He's achieved what he has by working hard to play to his strengths. Trey has a great gas tank. He just doesn't get tired. He's also very academically minded. He's a great student who takes a lot of AP and honors classes." -- Edgemont head wrestling coach, Peter Jacobson Career Highlights: three-time NYS DII placewinner (5th in 2010 at 96; 2nd in 2011 at 103; 2nd in 2012 at 113) 2011 Junior freestyle All-American (8th at 113) Compiled a 7-1 record at the 2012 Junior Freestyle Duals. Honorable Mention Selections (Alphabetical): Chris Araoz (Wantagh/DI) -- 2012 NHSCA Junior National champion at 120 Zack Bacon (Hornell/DII) -- 2012 NYS runner-up at 220 Shayne Brady (Carthage/DI) -- 2012 NYS runner-up at 170 TJ Fabian (Shoreham Wading-River/DI) -- 2012 NYS 4th place at 120; two-time NHSCA All-American (4th in 2011 at 112, 6th in 2012 at 120) Drew Hull (Royalton-Hartland/DII) -- Two-time NYS placewinner (6th in 2011 at 135; 2nd in 2012 at 145); 2011 NHSCA All-American (7th at 135) Austin Keough (Warsaw/DII) -- Three-time NYS placewinner (2nd in 2012 at 103, 4th in 2011 at 112, 6th in 2012 at 113) Christopher Koo (Great Neck South/DI) -- Two-time NHSCA All-American (6th in 2011 at 145, 7th in 2012 at 152) Connor Lapresi (Lansing/DII) -- 2012 NYS champion at 132; two-time NHSCA All-American (8th in 2010 at 112, 8th in 2011 at 125) Matt Leshinger (Sayville/DI) -- 2012 NYS placewinner (3rd at 120); defeated 2012 NYS champion, Sean McCabe in the Section 11/Suffolk County tournament Drew Longo (Ardsley/DII) -- Two-time NYS placewinner (2nd in 2010 at 96, 5th in 2011 at 112) Bryce Mazurowski (Avon/DII) -- 2012 NYS runner-up at 195 Dan McDevitt (Wantagh/DI) -- 2012 NYS placewinner (5th at 138); two-time NHSCA All-American (8th in 2011 at 130, 5th in 2012 at 138) Cheick Ndiaye (Brooklyn International/DII) -- 2012 NYS runner-up at 106 Dylan Realbuto (Somers/DI) -- Two-time NYS finalist/champion in 2012 at 113; NYS runner-up in 2011 at 96; younger brother of 2012 No. 1 ranked wrestler in NYS Brian Alex Soutiere (Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk/DII) -- 2012 NYS runner-up at 285 El Shaddai Gilmore Van Hoesen (Columbia/DI) -- 2012 NYS runner-up at 285; three-time NHSCA All-American (5th in 2010, 4th in 2011, and 6th in 2012, all in the 285 weight class. For all the latest New York wrestling news, visit Newyorkwrestlingnews.com.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 141 pound weight class bout at the 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will feature B.J. Futrell of the University of Illinois wrestling against Kendric Maple of the University of Oklahoma, a match-up never before seen at the collegiate level. During the 2011-2012 season Futrell, currently a redshirt senior, placed third at the Big 10 Championships and received two-time All-American status after finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships at 133 pounds. Futrell also received Wrestler of the Week and Academic All-Big 10 honors for his efforts during the season. Futrell was 30-9 during the 2011-2012 season, 16-4 in duals and 7-1 in Big 10 competition. Futrell led the Fighting Illini in pins, 13, tying Larry TenPas’ record from the 1954-1955 season. Futrell wrestled at 125 pounds during his freshman season (2008-2009), finishing sixth at the Big 10 Championships and qualifying for the NCAA Championships, and 133 pounds during his redshirt sophomore (2010-2011) and junior (2011-2012) seasons, where he finished fourth and third at the Big 10 Championships and eighth and sixth at the NCAA Championships. Futrell, who has a career record of 82-34, will be making his 2nd appearance in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Futrell competed in the 2011 event dropping an 8-7 decision to Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State. Kendric Maple is coming off an NCAA fourth-place finish (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Maple, had a breakout sophomore season in 2011-12 winning the Big 12 Championships and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships earning All-American honors at 141 pounds. Maple, a redshirt junior, finished with a 32-3 overall record, 17-1 in duals. Maple currently has a 65-15 career record. During the 2011-2012 season, Maple became one of only three wrestlers in the history of the Big 12 to win three conference honors in one season. Maple was two-time Big 12 wrestler of the Week, and Wrestler of the Month in addition to leading the Sooners in falls (7), major decisions (15), takedowns (72), near falls in duals (23), overall wins (32), and percent of bouts won (91.4%). During the 2009-2010 season Maple received an at large bid to attend the NCAA Championships after finishing third at the Big 12 Championships at 133 pounds. The NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will occur on November 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington D.C. The NWCA All-Star classic is hosted by the DC Athletic Club and Greater Washington Business Network and is also sponsored by Balance Bar. To purchase tickets to the event visit American University’s website at http://aueagles.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=507577. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA Facebook and Twitter pages. The NWCA Classic serves as a premier event to help grow the sport of wrestling. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the sport in the Washington DC area.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 184 pound weight class bout at the 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will feature a pair of returning NCAA All-Americans in Kevin Steinhaus of the University of Minnesota wrestling against Robert Hamlin of Lehigh University. Steinhaus, currently a red shirt junior, looks to build on his success from last year’s season at 184 pounds. Steinhaus won the Big 10 championships and was fifth at the NCAA Championships. Steinhaus received All-American honors for the second time at this weight after finishing eighth at the 2011 NCAA Championships. Steinhaus completed the 2011-2012 season with a 34-6 overall record, finishing 14-3 in duals and 8-0 in Big 10 competition. Steinhaus received Big 10 Wrestler of the Week and Big-10 All Academic honors and was voted Most Dedicated Wrestler of the Year by his teammates. Steinhaus led his team in the most major decision wins with 10. Steinhaus has a career record of 67-18. Lehigh's Robert Hamlin gets in on a shot against Quentin Wright in the NCAA semifinals at 184 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Hamlin enters his senior season as a two-time NCAA All-American after finishing fourth in 2012 and 2nd in 2011. Hamlin is also a two-time EIWA Champion at 184 pounds. Hamlin was the first wrestler ever from the state of Vermont to advance to the NCAA finals. Hamlin won the Coaches Award following the 2011-2012 season for the second consecutive season for his signification contributions to the Mountain Hawks in leadership, attitude or improvement. Hamlin completed the season with a 31-3 overall record, finishing 16-1 in duals. Hamlin has a career record of 83-18. Hamlin and Steinhaus are no strangers to one another as competitors at the 184 pound weight class. At the 2012 NCAA Championships Hamlin defeated Steinhaus in a 3-2 decision to advance to the bronze medal bout. The NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps will occur on November 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington D.C. The NWCA All-Star classic is hosted by the DC Athletic Club and Greater Washington Business Network and is also sponsored by Balance Bar. To purchase tickets to the event visit American University’s website at http://aueagles.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=507577. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA Facebook and Twitter pages. The NWCA Classic serves as a premier event to help grow the sport of wrestling. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the sport in the Washington DC area.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- The 157 pound weight class bout at the 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic will feature Dylan Alton of Pennsylvania State University wrestling against Jason Welch of Northwestern University in a rematch of the 2011 NCAA Championship third place bout. Dylan Alton won his most recent meeting with Jason Welch at the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)In 2011-2012 Alton began his collegiate career earning All-American Honors as a freshman. Alton was third at the Big Ten Championships and defeated Welch in a 6-2 decision in the third place bout at the NCAA National Championships. Alton tied his brother, Andrew Alton, and Josh Moore for tenth on Penn State’s list of all-time wins recorded by a freshman. Alton, who was a redshirt during the 2010-2011 season, completed his freshman season with a 30-10 overall record, 12-2 dual record and 6-2 record in the Big Ten. Alton recorded the fourth most wins for the Nittany Lions during the 2011-2012 season. Welch is a two time All-American, only the 15th athlete in Wildcat history to earn All-American status twice. Welch has never finished outside of the top three at the Big Ten Championships, finishing second in 2012, and has traveled to the NCAA Championships three times in his career qualifying as a true freshman, finishing sixth as a redshirt sophomore and finishing fourth as a redshirt junior. Welch finished the 2011-2012 season 27-3 overall, 15-0 in duals and 8-0 in Big Ten competition. Welch was the recipient of the Stutevill High Point-Scorer Award and Lupton Takedown Award during the 2011-2012 season for recording the most team dual points and most net takedowns on the team. Welch has a career record of 83-21. Alton and Welch have faced off twice already in their careers. Welch won the first bout on a 2-1 decision, but was bested by Alton in their match up at the NCAA Championships. Welch wrestled at the 2011 NWCA All-Star Classic where he defeated Granbayar Sanjaa of American University in an 8-5 decision. Welch, who is an elite group of wrestlers to receive back-to-back invitations to the event, is excited to have the opportunity to participate in the event. "It's extremely exciting for Jason and his family to be attending their second All Star Classic," said Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano. "With the excitement for this year's event, you have to give credit to the NWCA and Teague Moore for their marketing efforts. It is going to be a great event and back-to-back invites puts Jason in an elite crowd." The All-Star Classic will occur on November 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington D.C. To purchase tickets to the event visit American University’s website at http://aueagles.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=507577. For more information on the event, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA Facebook and Twitter pages. The NWCA Classic serves as a premier event to help grow the sport of wrestling. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the sport in the Washington DC area.

InterMat senior writer T.R. Foley answers reader questions about NCAA wrestling, international wrestling, recruiting, or anything loosely related to wrestling. You have until Thursday night every week to send questions to Foley's Twitter or email account. Do you want to read a past mailbag? View archives. Did you hear that Kyle Dake and David Taylor are wrestling? It's kinda big news 'round here. The pairing off of NCAA champions will be a season-long event, with Dake staying up at 165 pounds all season, but as if to ensure against a last-minute cut to 157 pounds, the New York native has signed up to wrestle Taylor at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 3 at American University. Yes, tickets are still available. Many of your questions centered around the fallout from the Dake vs. Taylor match, and though I had to pull some of the repeats, I've kept three that I think capture the excitement for the event and how there could be several outcomes and storylines in the weeks following the event. To your questions ... Q: That 'Gangnam Style' video is a complete joke. What an embarrassment. As if the "rolling around in tights with men" stigma wasn't bad enough, they look like complete idiots to say the least. Not one of the kids would get an interview in my world. Disgrace -- James F. Foley: There is a history to sport teams making spoof videos of songs that go viral, and some of them are actually more insulting than the one you've cited from the Duke wrestling team. But you're right, there was something cringe-worthy going on during this video. It felt insulting to see wrestlers writhing around in their singlets, something we see as a game uniform but others see as a half-homoerotic expression. I understand that some spoofs are constructed to play into a stereotype in order to get across some subtle message. That doesn't seem to have been Duke's intention, and if it was then they missed, and they missed way more than just a bit outside. Why did Duke make this video? The wrestling program been working hard with Coyte Cooper at the NWCA to create a marketing campaign to get fans interested in the team. This video wasn't Cooper's creation, but the official team account on Twitter has been very active in promoting the video and it's viral success, so it's safe to assume head wrestling coach Glen Lanham approved the video prior to distribution. The second influence is Flowrestling and that stupid, ridiculous, childish, half-perverted social networking ploy they pushed this summer called #bulging. For those who live in the utopia of a pre-#bulging world, it is essentially the website asking high school kids to romp around public in their singlet in an effort to garner attention for themselves. It's a wildly misguided attempt to earn some type of broader respect, but fell flat. It's sophomoric idiocy, far below the proud tradition of wrestling in America. The Duke team seems to have been emboldened by Flo's moronic bullshit. The Duke team has a lot to be excited about this year. Hiring a new coach means that they can change the direction of their program. Coach Lanham is one of the good guys in the sport, somebody who has earned universal respect from the coaching community. They will move past this kneecapping of their respectability and hopefully put a few guys into the NCAA tournament. You should still look at their resume! Though they lack the social skills of their neighbors in Charlottesville, but I remember recruiting plenty of bright teens that chose Durham over Morningside Heights. Honey, you're just angry right now ... On a somewhat related note, I first heard this song in Hawaii a few months ago and thought to myself "It's sooo much different here than the mainland." Q: Now that Kyle Dake and David Taylor have accepted the matchup, what are two more matches you'd want to watch? I want the rematch between Logan Stieber and Jordan Oliver. -- Harold E. Foley: Greed! The wrestling world gives you gold and now you want platinum. Shame on you. I'm very grateful to Dake and Taylor for providing us such compelling early-season fodder for the mailbag, but I'll go ahead and go with you, Harry. Time to make some more dream matchups! 1. Jordan Oliver vs. The OTHER Steiber: There are so many excellent stories of revenge, but rarely does it happen that those who've been maligned must find their solace in the destruction of their enemy's family. I'd take JO all day long, but it would be a super compelling storyline and because JO is headed up to 141 pounds, it' the only way those two names are going to meet up. 2. Ed Ruth vs. Steve Bosak: Just a pair of defending NCAA champions who aren't scared to wrestle the same weight class. We are rarely treated to more than one NCAA champ in a weight, and though waiting until later in the season (possibly Southern Scuffle) might happen, it won't be under the same spotlight. 3. Matt McDonough vs. Nico Megaludis: A rematch to kick off the event would be, uh, sweet. Q: Does Kyle Dake feel pressure to bump to 165 for the year in order to win the Hodge? -- @Rob_SwagginU Cornell's Kyle Dake gets interviewed by ESPN moments after capturing the NCAA championship at 157 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Foley: Kid Dynamite isn't scared, pressured, cajoled, shoved, intimidated, or MADE to do anything he doesn't want to do! Somebody should start making "Kyle Dake is NOT Impressed" memes? Unshakeable towhead, that Kyle Dake. I don't know Dake at all, but he seems to love wrestling and embrace the competition. He wants to win and seems pretty good at doing so year to year. Dake's motivation for the bump isn't known, but a Hodge can't be the cause. The Hodge is a lock for any four-time NCAA champion and his chances of winning that award were much better at 157 pounds where there wasn't a defending NCAA champion, Taylor, and 2011 NCAA finalist Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma. I'd guess that Dake made the bump for any number of reasons, but it had to occur to him that if he wins four titles at four weight classes in four years he could be in contention as the greatest of all time. And that ain't no small thing. Q: What happens if Taylor/Dake doesn't make the finals at 165 pounds? Will the wrestling world take a hit? -- @BrandonfrmNJ Foley: Not me. If one of those two guys doesn't make the finals I win $200. I'm not telling you which one. I don't want to move the lines. Q: You talked about whether Jon Jones' improvement in MMA is enough to carry him in the Midlands, and basically said it won't. While that may be true for Jones, how about some other examples. Mark Schultz did gymnastics (and was pretty good) and only started wrestling his junior year of high school. He won California states his senior year, and followed it with three NCAA titles, and Olympic gold, and two World titles. Schultz is obviously an extreme example, but Jimmy Pedro is another good one. He is a superstar in judo, and was also able to pick up an EIWA title for Brown. If an athlete pushes himself to excel in one sport, don't you think that can translate to success on the mat? -- David, Massachusetts Foley: I absolutely think that great athletes can translate their talents into several sports, especially brothers like judo and wrestling, and distant cousins like gymnastics and wrestling. The translation is much less apparent if you tried to jump from basketball to wrestling, or football to gymnastics. But those that have some crossover, even gymnastics and wrestling, can mean the best athletes in those sports can make a lateral move. Just ask Michal Jordan!

Fight Now TV Presents Takedown Wrestling from the Brute studios in Des Moines, Iowa at 1460 KXNO. Takedown Wrestling is brought to you by Kemin Agrifoods! This Saturday it's Takedown Wrestling Radio. Join Scott Casber and Brad Johnson this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. to noon ET. This week's guests: 9:03 Steve Martin, Old Dominion wrestling coach 9:20 Joe Bastardi, Penn State wrestling insider 9:40 Heath Grimm, Upper Iowa head wrestling coach 9:50 Ty Barkley, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition Update 10:03 JohnMark Bentley, Appalachian State head wrestling coach 10:20 Mike Van Arsdale, MMA coach, former wrestler/fighter 10:40 Ned Shuck, Heidelberg head wrestling coach 10:50 Tim Bollman, GM Wildrose Casino and Resort Fans, athletes, coaches: This is your sport. Join in the conversation live. Ask questions. Call 866-333-5966 or 515-204-5966. Takedown Wrestling is available on radio on AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa, online at Livesportsvideo.com, or on your Blackberry or iPhone with the iHeart Radio app. (Click on KXNO under Sportsradio.)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro has announced that former Pittsburgh All-American Drew Headlee has joined the Mountain Hawks coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. Headlee will train and work with the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club, a position that allows him to assist the Lehigh program on a volunteer basis. He will work primarily with Lehigh's young and talented group of lightweights. "I'm really excited to have Drew here," Santoro said. "I've known him for a long time, being a Pitt grad. I think he will fit in very well here. He's great technically and is a quality person. It's always great to have an All-American in the room and he's also done well at the international level." Drew HeadleeHeadlee has spent the last two years training at the North Carolina Regional Training Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., and prior to that trained for two years at the Regional Training Center at West Virginia. He competed in freestyle at the Olympic Trials in 2008 and 2012 in the 132 lb. weight class. Headlee placed in the top seven at the U.S. Open in freestyle in four straight years from 2008 to 2011, highlighted by fifth place finishes in 2010 and 2011. This past year Headlee won the Final Olympic Trials Qualifying tournament. He also owns a runner-up finish at the 2009 NYAC International and third place finishes at the 2010 Sunkist International and the 2011 Cerro Pelado International. At the University of Pittsburgh, Headlee was a three-year captain and four-year letter winner for the Panthers under head coach Rande Stottlemyer. Headlee won Eastern Wrestling League titles in 2007 (at 133) and 2008 (at 141) and was a three-time NCAA tournament qualifier. As a sophomore in 2005, Headlee earned All-America honors with an eighth place finish at 133. He just missed earning his second All-America medal as a senior in 2008 as he lost in the round of 12. As a freshman, Headlee won the Mat Town Invitational at 125. He also won the 133-pound title at the 2006 Body Bar Invitational at Cornell, and was a University National Freestyle Champion. He earned his degree in architectural studies from Pitt in 2008. Headlee was a four year letter winner at Waynesburg Central High School in Waynesburg, Pa. He compiled a career record of 137-28 and was a three-time WPIAL Champion and a three-time Pennsylvania state qualifier, placing fourth in AAA in 2001 before capturing a state title in 2002. Headlee was also a three time Pennsylvania freestyle state champion and a six time Cadet/Junior National place winner. Headlee joins a Lehigh coaching staff led by Santoro and featuring former Lehigh All-American Brad Dillon and former Penn State national champion John Hughes, all of whom enter their fifth seasons on the Mountain Hawks coaching staff. "He fits a need for us as the lightweight coach," Santoro said. "It's a win-win for both parties. It will help Drew and it will help us, so we're really excited he's coming." Lehigh begins preseason practice next month, with the annual Brown and White Wrestle-offs set for Thursday November 1. One week later on November, Lehigh will open the dual season against Binghamton inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Season and single match tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting Lehighsports.com.